Susan & I tried Fri night w/ dinner:
1. RegisCruchet AC: Vouvray/Val de Loire (Sec; 12%; NorthBerkeleyImports) Rochambarde 1994: Med.dark gold color; very strong chalky/mineral/gunflint/steely/metallic light floral/fragrant/CB somewhat honeyed slight nutty/smokey/earthy/Kansas root cellar very complex beautiful nose; very rich/honeyed quite tangy/grapefruity/chalky/mineral/stony bit metallic/gunflint/steely slight floral/old CB/carnations very complex quite fresh/lively beautiful flavor w/ nary a trace of oxidation; very long/lingering slight musty/earthy/dusty/Kansas root cellar quite chalky/mineral/stony tangy/steely light floral/old CB somewhat honeyed/rich very complex finih; a terrific example of how Loire CB at even the most basic level can age; a fresh/lively/bracing/mineral wine w/ an underlying richness & texture; terrific wine at a great price. $33.00 (AV)
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2. BedrockWineCo Syrah NorthCoast (14.0%; AlderSprings/Shanel/Griffen'sLair vnyds + Viog/SteinerVnyd; www.BedrockWineCo.com) 2011: Med.dark color; very strong Rhonish/roasted/espresso/coffee some dusty/earthy bit herbal/peppery some blueberry/Syrah/pungent/RCCola some complex nose; fairly tart some tannic/hard very spicy/blueberry/Syrah bit earthy/dusty/herbal/peppery somewhat Rhonish/roasted/coffee bit complex finish; med.long some roasted/Rhonish/espresso/licorice/pungent light blueberry/Syrah bit herbal/peppery/earthy/spicy finish w/ some hard/angular tannins; needs several yrs yet; not a lot of lush/ripe Syrah fruit but rather Rhonish character like a med.weight Cornas; quite a nice Syrah for the price that will only get better. $21.00
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A a wee BloodyPulpit:
1. Vouvray: This was a new wine Brian just got in at ArroyoVino. A 20 yr old Vouvray Sec?? How good could that be? Well...awfully darn good it turns out. It had a rich/honeyed character that suggested some botrytis..but probably not, though. It was a rather fragile wine. The next morning, after standing out overnight in the btl; the remaining wine was but a shadow of its former self...lean/tangy/stoney/mineral but no evident fruit and none of the honeyed/textured character.
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2. Bedrock: I was expecting a somewhat bigger example of Syrah, but was not disappointed with this. There was some whole-cluster fermentation involved which gave it quite a nice Rhonish character; yet another Bedrock winner.
Tom