WTN: Lunch With SteveEdmunds...(short/boring)

When I come to the BayArea, I like the early SouthWest flight that gets me into
Oakland in time for lunch. Alas, didn't happen on this trip. But Susan was flying
in on that same flight for the Memorial service, so it was a good enough excuse to meet
up w/ Steve for lunch at BayWolf. Joining us was LarryArchibald, on that same flight.
They wines for that day were:
1. fattoria di magliano Pagliatura IGT Vermention delle maremma toscana (13.5%) 2007:
Pale yellow color; light floral/fragrant/Vermin light pencilly/stoney nose; tart light
stoney/floral slight vanilla/oak rather diffuse/simple flavor; med.short light/
diffuse bit stoney/floral finish; pleasant enough nose but rather light & diffuse
& a bit weak on the palate.
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2. EdmundsStJohn Heart of Gold ElDorado (59% Vermentino, 41% grenacheBlanc; 13.3%)
2008: Light gold color; lovely fragrant/floral/perfumed/aromatic/Vermin light stoney/
spicy/nutmeg very attractive nose; lush/rich somewhat stoney/minerally strong floral/
perfumed/pear/pineapple flavor w/ good acidity; very long lush/ripe/floral/aromatic/
Vermin light stoney/earthy ripe pear/pineapple finish; lots of richness and floral
aromatics w/ a good underlying acidity and an interesting minerality; this wine
is really evolving nicely in the btl. $21.00
_________________
3. trenza Blanca EdnaVlly (60% Albarino, 40% GrenacheBlanc; http://www.TrenzaWinery.com; 14.2%)
2008: Light gold color; attractive floral/minerally/stoney clean bit simple nose;
tart/lean metallic/stoney clean/crisp lightly floral flavor; med.long tart/clean/
crisp light stoney/metallic/minerally light floral/gardenias/carnations finish;
an absolutely pleasant if a bit simple white wine.
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4. EdmundsStJohn Syrah DurellVnyd (57% SonomaVlly, 43% Carneros; Bdx btl; 13.8%) 1992:
Dark color w/ very slight bricking; beautiful cedary/pencilly/aged/complex some
smokey/roasted/Rhonish classic EdStJ slight blackberry/Syrah nose; tart very smokey/
pungent/cedary/Rhonish light blackberry/Syrah complex lovely flavor; very long rather
smokey/pungent/roasted/Rhonish light blackberry finish w/ light tannins; in absolutely
lovely shape and a classic mature EdStJ Syrah; beautiful wine.
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5. EdmundsStJohn Syrah SonomaVlly/DurellVnyd (14.2%) 1996: Dark color w/ slight bricking;
rather cedary/pencilly/smokey/old wine slight charred/roasted/pungent bit earthy
light blackberry/Syrah interesting nose; tart rather cedary/pencilly light pungent/
smokey/roasted/Rhonish slightly tired/bitey/astringent flavor; long cedary/pencilly
light smokey/pungent/Rhonish somewhat astringent finish; interesting nose but a bit
tired and dried out on the palate; clinging on to life by a fingernail.
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And a wee BloodyPulpit:
1. In view of some of the recent allegations of critics being wined & dined: I'm not
a professional critic and, therefore, not totally objective like they are. I'm just
a clutzy/amateur reviewer that kinda knows the wines I like and talk about them.
For the record, I paid for my own lunch. Steve provided two of the EdStJ wines and
I provided one. That certainly pales beside some of the influence peddling that goes
on in the wine world. Jeez...I couldn't even get Steve to go out and feed my
parking meter. End of discussion.
_________________
2. Trenza: These are the Spanish-influenced wines of the NivenFamily in SLO, who also
make the Baileyana and Tangent labels.
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3. EdStJ '92: Steve had recently been up to a BD celebration for SteveHill, who farms
the DurellVnyd and the Parmalee-Hill vnyd that Steve now takes Syrah from, rather
than Durell. SteveHill took him down into his cellar and asked himm if there were
any of his wines he wanted. StevE immediately spotted this Syrah in a Bordeaux btl
and requested it. When they were bottling that wine, SteveE related that they had
run out of the standard Burgundy btls and had to finish up the bottling run w/ some
leftover Bordeaux btls. Then wine was in absolutely beautiful condition, a classic
EdStJ mature Syrah. I attribute its perfect condition to being in the Bordeaux btl,
which is why they use that shape of btl for long-lived Bordeaux wines.
Tom

This is the first time I see a suggestion that a Bdx shape is more conducive to harmonious aging than a Burg shape. That makes no sense to this klutzy amateur...

[David M. Bueker]

But it does make sense that Monsieur Hill is yanking our collective chains.

Steve... Tom appears to be calling you short and boring.

Better buy him that meal next time or I dread to think how abusive he could get...

Steve... Tom appears to be calling you short and boring.

Some yrs ago, I did a post about my dinner w/ DarrellCorti...w/ (long/boring) on the SubjectLine.
Sent a printed copy of the notes to Darrell (he doesn't get out on the InterNet).
His sister Ila saw the copy of notes and the "long/boring" and was absolutely outraged that I'd label
a dinner with her brother "long/boring" and gave Darrell firm instructions that I was never again to be
invited to dinner. Darrell was pretty amused by it & I sent a note of apology and explanation to Ila.
Tom

Steve... Tom appears to be calling you short and boring.

Some yrs ago, I did a post about my dinner w/ DarrellCorti...w/ (long/boring) on the SubjectLine.
Sent a printed copy of the notes to Darrell (he doesn't get out on the InterNet).
His sister Ila saw the copy of notes and the "long/boring" and was absolutely outraged that I'd label
a dinner with her brother "long/boring" and gave Darrell firm instructions that I was never again to be
invited to dinner. Darrell was pretty amused by it & I sent a note of apology and explanation to Ila.
Tom

This is the first time I see a suggestion that a Bdx shape is more conducive to harmonious aging than a Burg shape. That makes no sense to this klutzy amateur...

Well, as long as the fill is into the neck, the surface area/volume ration will be lower in the bdx bottle than in the burg shape. Once the fill hits the shoulder then it evens out.

I've often wondered why they don't make the necks longer on bdx bottles and use them for all types of wine. If there were, say, an extra inch of neck, a wine could lose a lot more fill before the surface area of the wine-exposed-to-air increased. I expect that it would extend longevity.

...I've often wondered why they don't make the necks longer on bdx bottles and use them for all types of wine. If there were, say, an extra inch of neck, a wine could lose a lot more fill before the surface area of the wine-exposed-to-air increased. I expect that it would extend longevity.

Your statement only makes sense if the bottle is stored upright. The length of the neck is irrelevant if the bottle is stored on it's side, which is how it should be stored if the wine has a cork.

I always thought the only reason why bottles were given a “broad shoulder” was to trap sediment.

Salute

But it does make sense that Monsieur Hill is yanking our collective chains.

I doan think so! I thunk he means it...

But it does make sense that Monsieur Hill is yanking our collective chains.

I doan think so! I thunk he means it...

David knows me far too well.
Tom

I've had lunch with Steve Edmunds, and I'll testify that he is neither short nor boring.

Also that his Heart of Gold is neither short nor boring. I like the stuff (had it at Cyrus not terribly long ago, and it was a bright point in the evening). The only problem with Heart of Gold is it invariably gets the song going through my head, recalling my college years when it was on the Top Forty and played incessantly---like about once every half hour---on the radio channel while I was painting my apartment. Sniffing paint fumes and the old residue of caked hash oil and candle wax from the previous tenants, while listening to that song over and over and over again (which was, I suppose a particularly appropriate congruence of substances and influences) embedded the damn thing in my head. The wine sets off that closed loop again

Doo-do-do-do, Doo do DOO DOO DOO Keep me searching for a heart of go-old (in an impossibly high voice).

And about five minutes into that my wife says 'It's nice at first, but get another song. Now."

So, like, thanks, Edmunds.

For more ESJ wines, http://violentfermentation.blogspot.com/
(C'mon, you knew it was inevitable, right?)

Doo-do-do-do, Doo do DOO DOO DOO Keep me searching for a heart of go-old (in an impossibly high voice).

Huh......I'd leave the music to STeve if I were you, Hoke!!!

Tom

Hoke; you can taste the new HoG Monday, and I'll tell you the story of the name.

[David M. Bueker]

But can you do a 100% Mourvedre called "Black Queen?" (I'll figure out a Nash & a Crosby reference sooner or later.)

[James Roscoe]

100% Mouvedre would need a Led Zeppelin reference.

But can you do a 100% Mourvedre called "Black Queen?" (I'll figure out a Nash & a Crosby reference sooner or later.)

Used to do one called L'Enfant Terrible. Tried to write that song, but my French wasn't up to the task.

But can you do a 100% Mourvedre called "Black Queen?" (I'll figure out a Nash & a Crosby reference sooner or later.)

Used to do one called L'Enfant Terrible. Tried to write that song, but my French wasn't up to the task.

Maybe you need to collaborate with Mike Dashe on that one...

Mark "Bête Noire" Lipton

[David M. Bueker]

Bête Noire could be fine for a Mourvedre, though I would not peg Steve for a Bryan Ferry fan.

But can you do a 100% Mourvedre called "Black Queen?" (I'll figure out a Nash & a Crosby reference sooner or later.)

Used to do one called L'Enfant Terrible. Tried to write that song, but my French wasn't up to the task.

Maybe you need to collaborate with Mike Dashe on that one...

Mark "Bête Noire" Lipton

I gave Mike permission to use that name last Spring.