WTN: Two EdmundsStJohn Gamays '07..(short/boring)

We tried last night two from Steve:
1. EdmundsStJohn Bone-Jolly GamayNoir WittersVnyd/ElDoradoCnty (12.9%; http://www.EdmundsStJohn.com) P&B by Hook or by Crook/Fairplay 2007: Med.light color; lovely bright cherry/strawberry heaps of vibrant fruit light earthy/minerally very perfumed/fragrant nose; tart bright/exhuberent cherry/alpine strawberry loads of Gamay fruit slight earthy flavor; med.long tart vibrant/cherry/bright/Gamay fruit finish w/ little tannins; one of the best Beaujolais-Villages level Gamay I've had from Calif; a bright/exhuberent/quaffable wine.
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2. edmunds st john Porphyry GamayNoir BarsottiRanch/ElDorado (13.0%) C&B by ThumbnailMoonlight/Oakland 2007: Med.color; much more earthy/minerally/ElDorado mushroomy less blatently fruity somewhat perfumed talc/spicy slight black cherry/fruity very interesting nose; tart rather earthy/minerally bit tannic/tight spicy/perfumed talc deeper black cherry/Gamay fruit flavor; long tart rather earthy/minerally some black cherry/Gamay finish w/ some tannins; much like a BeaujGrandCru in character; a serious Gamay that needs some age.
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A wee BloodyPulpit:
1. I had the BoneJolly fresh off the boat when it came late Spring. A pleasant enough wine w/ some earthy character but the fruit seemed a bit beat down. Man...whatta difference 6 months makes. This wine was pouring over w/ heaps of bright/vibrant fruit, like a good BeaujVillages. Yet it didn't have that bubble gum/bannana oil/cheap soda pop character they sometimes have. A bright exhuberent wine. And his BoneJolly Gamay Rose is one of the tastiest roses made in Calif.
These two wines were both clearly night & day. The BarsottiRanch is a new vnyd for Steve. I think it's farmed by his favorite farmer in ElDorado, RonMansfield. It is located on very granitic soils (hence the name Porphyry), whilst the Witters is located on the more common volcanic soils of ElDorado. Can you taste the granite in the Porphyry?? Probably not, but it sure has a stoney/mineral character to it. It resembles a serious Beauj GrandCru w/ it's soney/earthy character. I don't believe Steve has yet released this wine, but would probably sell some to anybody who requested it.
Tom

[Jenise]

Hmmm...we're doing Beaujolais next month for our neighborhood tasting, and I was just thinking about trying to round up some domestic gamays. You've inadvertently led me to the game-changing information. ESJ we'll have, thanks!

Interesting that in four/five days in El Dorado, though, where these wines are from, that we didn't run into a single gamay either in wineries or stores. Must be fairly low production.

Hmmm...we're doing Beaujolais next month for our neighborhood tasting, and I was just thinking about trying to round up some domestic gamays. You've inadvertently led me to the game-changing information. ESJ we'll have, thanks!

Always glad to lead people down the primrose path, Jenise. You might want to check out DougTunnell's BrickHouse GamayNoir as well.

Interesting that in four/five days in El Dorado, though, where these wines are from, that we didn't run into a single gamay either in wineries or stores. Must be fairly low production.

For one thing, Jenise, most of the Gamay planted in Calif is either Valdigue or a PinotNoir clone. Very little true Gamay (Noir a jus Blanc) is planted. This (true) Gamay was planted up there at Steve's request and he probably takes the whole bloomin' crop.
Tom

Hmmm...we're doing Beaujolais next month for our neighborhood tasting, and I was just thinking about trying to round up some domestic gamays...

Jenise, if you get across the border before then, you might want to see if you can get your hands on Chateau Des Charmes Gamay Droit, from the Niagara Peninsula. I don't know if it makes it out to BC, but if you see it, try a bottle.

[Jenise]

Hmmm...we're doing Beaujolais next month for our neighborhood tasting, and I was just thinking about trying to round up some domestic gamays...

Jenise, if you get across the border before then, you might want to see if you can get your hands on Chateau Des Charmes Gamay Droit, from the Niagara Peninsula. I don't know if it makes it out to BC, but if you see it, try a bottle.

Thanks for the tip, but other than corporate products like Inniskillin ice wines, I've never seen any Niagara wines in BC. Not that they don't come in, but an infrequent visitor like me would NEVER run into them.

[Jenise]

Very little true Gamay (Noir a jus Blanc) is planted. This (true) Gamay was planted up there at Steve's request and he probably takes the whole bloomin' crop. Tom

I sounded dumber than I am. I did realize there's very little gamay anywhere in California--I was just surprised to learn that Steve's came from right where I was. Would never have known.

Tom,

We had the Bone-Jolly in June and liked it well enough. I tucked a second bottle away and we pulled it out a couple of weeks ago. I agree that the wine improved markedly in a short period of time. Much more fruit forward than what it had been. It morphed into what I thought was an outstanding QPR, so I went back and picked up a couple more bottles. Definitely among the best Gamays I have ever had and better than the Jadot BV, which I like alot.