13m
We tried these two btls of the same wine at Pig+Fig last night:
DavidBruce WhiteRiesling Estate SantaCruzMtns (16.2%) 1979 Cork floating in the btl.Very dark brown/sherry color; strong botrytis/old Calif TBA-like slight floral/WR somewhat oxidized less bright rather earthy/creme brulee quite complex nose; slightly sweet some oxidized rather oldTBS-like/bit botrytis slight earthy complex old Calif TBA R flavor w/ a slight bitterness; very long finish w/ some bitter/oxidized/wet dog fur aftertaste; less fresh & a bit oxidized but softer/smoother; a rather interesting wine that’s hanging in there.
DavidBruce WhiteRiesling Estate SantaCruzMtns (16.2%) 1979 Cork still (sorta) intact. Very dark brown color; strong botrytis/Calif TBA/R creme brulee some earthy bit coffee bit brighter some complex nose; soft slightly sweet strong WR/TBA some earthy bit less oxidized rather complex flavor w/ slight bitterness; very long/lingering finish w/ slight bitterness; very much the same wine but a bit less oxidized & not as bitter in the finish.
Mpre cibberfrat from TheBloodyPulpit:
Stacey was ransacking her Dad’s cellar & found these two identical btld under several layers of Barolo. Both stored on their sides. So, with low expectations, we served them side by side. One btl had the cork dropped out & floating in the wine, the btl being sealed only by the plastic capsule. The other btl had an intact cork still in the neck, but rather loose & very crumbly. But I was able to remove it intact. Both wines had about 1/3’rd of the wine ullaged away & the lip covered w/ a lot of gunk.
David planted Chard/PinotNoir/Cabernet/WhiteRiesling on his estate up on Bear Creek Rd when he originally planted the vnyd in the early '60’s. All were own rooted. His first ho-made wines were made from the Concord grape, with a ton of new Fr.oak. Very few, when served it blind, could identify it has Labrusca. I couldn’t when I tried it.
David did some interesting things w/ his WhiteRiesling. The early ones were brl frmtd & hit w/ a ton of new Fr.oak. The had a slight hint of Riesling/floral character but resembled WhiteBurgundy more than anything.Lovers of German were, of course, incensed by this rendition of Riesling. There was picketing/rioting of his Estate at the front gate on the weekends, w/ signs saying don’t drink the Riesling. Maybe a few attempts to burn down David’s house, where he made the wine in his basement. But they were interesting/bizarre wines. Later on, he moved to a bit more Germanic style w/ far less oak. I recall this wine at release as being rather Germanic, a touch of oak, a bit of sweetness of about the Auslese level of ripeness. But still pretty bizarre.
The one with the floating cork should have been dead & gone. But there was not a great difference in these two btls.
My TN on this same wine from March 2019:
TomHill
Mar 2019
Tried this wine from Blair’s stash last night:
DavidBruce WhiteRiesling SantaCruzCnty (16.2%) LosGatos 1979: Deep amber/oloroso sherry bit murky color; very strong old German auslese/cedary strong toasty/pencilly/smokey/Fr.oak slight gout de petrol/Mosel valve oil quite complex very interesting w/ no overt oxidation (sherry/VA/or acealdehyde character); slight alcoholic slight nuttu strong toasty/cedary/pencilly/smokey/Fr.oak some petrol/Mosel valve oil rather astringent/bitter some old German auslese quite complex flavor w/ some bitterness; very long/lingering somewhat bitter/astringent rather cedary/pencilly/toasty/smokey/oak some old German auslese/gout de petrol/Mosel valve oil finish w/ some bitterness; quite an exotic/bizarre/complex old white with an interesting melange of flavors & aromas; a bit too bitter astringent/bitter on the palate but a very exotic/bizarre nose.
A wee BloodyPulpit:
This was interesting in that it carried a SantaCruzCnty designation rather than a SantaCruzMtn designation. Don’t know if this has a signifigance or not.
When David planted his vnyd up on BearMtnRd, he put in PinotNoir and Chard (of course), but also CabernetSauv and WhiteRiesling. Those wines of his in te '60’s-'70’s were always about new Fr.oak. The WR was always like no other Riesling in the World. High in alcohol and loaded w/ new Fr.oak. Yet is still had that floral R character coming thru. Though bizarre, I always sorta liked the wine as a unique expression of R from David. Much like I find Quasimodo a rather endearing creature. But it was the kind of wine that would drive Riesling purists into the hills screaming in terror. Sometimes purists miss out on some of the better things in life with their fixation on how a wine “should be”.
I was expecting this wine to be totally dead & gone, riddled w/ VA/acetic/acetaldehyde. It was not at all. Just an old white w/ a bizarre melange of flavors & aromas, but still a unique expression of Dr.Bruce’s take on WhiteRiesling.
Tom
Tom