Had these two for dinner last night:
1. Stirm Riesling WirzVnyd/CienegaVlly (13.5%; OldVine; Plntd: 1964) Watsonville 2019: Med.dark gold color w/ small bubbles that dissipate; strong floral/mango/R/bit pineapple rather stony/mineral/bit flinty rather OV/steely some complex classic Wirz R nose; very tart/tangy some R/floral/mango/pineapple quite mineral/chalky/flinty/OV fairly complex flavor; very long/lingering quite mineral/chalky/steely/flinty totally dry rather complex/OV finish; a lovely classic OV/Wirz R that should improve for another 4-6 yrs; a classic old-timey/minerally Calif R. $32.00 (KK)
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2. Drew TheFieldBlend GSM RW MendoRidge (13.2%) Elk 2019: Med.dark color; strong Grenache/strawberry/black cherry some toasty/oak bit peppery/c-c/smokey slight Rhonish/roasted quite attractive nose; rather tart/tangy bit angular/crunchy strong strawberry/G/black cherry/blackberry/Syrah slight c-c/peppery/Rhonish/roasted some toasty/Fr.oak bit complex flavor w/ modest tangy tannins; very long/lingering bit tart/tangy some spicy/Rhonish/peppery fairly strong G/strawberry/blackberry/Syrah slight angular/metallic bit toasty/oak finish; a rather structured/tangy/crunchy GSM that needs anothe 2-5 yrs to soften up. $32.00
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A wee BloodyPulpit:
1. Stirm: This is the wnry of Ryan Stirm. As Ryan puts it: "it's our mission to pioneer the new age of California Riesling". The ones I've tasted certainly puts him on the right track for that. The Wirz is consistently one of Ryan's best. Very Germanic in style, but would not be mistaken for a good Mosel...but on that level of quality.
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2. This is, I believe, the first Drew GSM blend. And it is a mighty fine one at that. Jason & Molly have long made Syrah from several vnyds that I like quite a bit, classic c-c Calif Syrah. This is a nice addition to their portfolio.
Tom