WTN: Côtes like a knife

[David M. Bueker]

• 1989 Edmunds St. John Les Côtes Sauvages - USA, California (6/4/2022)
  I wrote a note on this wine four years ago, and really not much has changed since then, and it’s all to the good. It’s still more ethereal than material. It’s still about subtle touches of flowers, spices, fruit and earth. It is holding on like an aged philosopher, dispensing vinous wisdom, but only to those open to hearing. Put a hand to your ear. Listen closely.

Glad to know there's still a little bit of this wine still kicking around out there. I believe it may be as good as any wine I've ever put in bottle. I've always felt it was really special, and, at a winemaker dinner in Manhattan about 5 years ago even I was astonished at how gorgeous it was. The core of the wine was Mourvedre from the old Brandlin Ranch planting on Mt. Veeder, and we lost roughly a barrel of that in the earthquake in '89, or it might have been even better. The Syrah was from Durell and Fenaughty, there was beautiful old Carignan from Brandlin, and old Grenache from McDowell Valley. Pretty good raw material.

[David M. Bueker]

My last bottle, but every time I have had the wine over the last…err…25 years or so it has been delicious. Thanks for the details on the grape sources.