(Notes, as with any large portfolio tasting of this nature, are brief. I return for second tastes of some of the more difficult-to-decipher wines, but most are relatively quick takes, and should be considered in that context.)
Alban 2002 Viognier (Central Coast) Peach blossom and flowery honeysuckle, pure varietal goodness. There's sufficient acidity, but the wine is a touch dead on the nose. Still, it's nice.
Alban 2001 "Estate" Viognier (Edna Valley) Orange, honeysuckle, and melon with bright acidity; crisp and lovely, and more generous than the Central Coast bottling.
Alban 2000 Roussanne (Central Coast) Slightly reductive at first, then leafy, showing spiced peanut skin. Lengthens and broadens on the palate, full of big, ripe passionfruit that lingers on a long, tactile finish. Yummy.
Alban 2001 "Estate" Roussanne (Edna Valley) Fuller-bodied than the Central Coast, with orange, grapefruit, and an enticing strawberry note layered with hazelnut oil and supported by excellent acidity. Great roussanne, New World or not.
Alban 2001 "Estate" Grenache (Edna Valley) Blueberry bubblegum and black cherry; sweet fruit balanced with terrific, juicy, spicy-hot California warmth. Decidedly New World, and delicious in that paradigm.
Alban 2001 Syrah (Central Coast) Plum and blueberry supported by graphite-infused earthiness. Very nice throughout, though there's a very slight vanillin bitterness on the finish. I'd be wary of long aging, but it's a pleasant wine now and over the short/medium term.
Post-tasting verticality
Alban 2001 "Estate" Syrah "Reva" (Edna Valley) Chocolate-covered plum, dense peanut butter and vanilla in a huge, yet completely balanced, eruption of a wine with enough structure to handle the explosiveness. Very long and spicy on the finish. I want to criticize the non-Rhτneness of this, but I just can't; it's beautiful wine with a long future.
I've tasted Alban quite a few times here in Boston, and I've always had mixed results. Maybe it's the short transport, or the California air, but this is by far the most impressive showing I've yet experienced. A fine, fine lineup of wines.
Dashe 2000 Sangiovese (Sonoma) Reductive strawberry with gritty seeds and the classic midpalate hole, showing asphalt and harsh tannin on a short finish. Unconvincing.
Dashe 2001 Zinfandel (Dry Creek Valley) 14.5%. Big, spiced plum, black cherry and chewy milk chocolate with a lightly leafy note on the finish. Pretty zin (in context; it's still very hefty), though maybe not all it has been in the past.
Dashe 2000 Zinfandel Todd Brothers Ranch (Alexander Valley) 15%. Huge plum and chocolate-covered blackberry with blueberry seeds. There's terrific balance here, with fresh acidity and that beautiful, graphite-like tannic texture that Dashe nearly always achieves in this wine. Heavenly, with lots of aging potential.
Dashe 2001 Zinfandel Big River (Alexander Valley) 15.5%. Licorice, light menthol aromas, and blueberry eau de vie. Intense and huge, with tannic dark chocolate and a bit of heat on the finish. Seems to be fighting its size, but while it will probably always be hot, I think there's improvement in store.
Stress and anxiety
Dashe 2001 Zinfandel Louvau "Old Vines" (Dry Creek Valley) 15.5%. Huge, dark cassis and spiced walnut skin, structured and tannic, and more closed-off than the Big River, but probably with more upside potential. If one can wait that long.
Dashe 2001 Merlot Oak Vineyard (Potter Valley) Blueberry and walnut with chocolately structure. Decent enough, I suppose, and it should age well, but it's only merlot.
Dashe 2001 Cabernet Sauvignon (Alexander Valley) Fuller-bodied than the merlot, with bitter cassis, black cherry, and plum. A much more worthy effort (credit the grape as well as the winemaker, of course), with better balance and slightly more aging potential.
A strong lineup, though the new zins are less convincing than the Todd Brothers Ranch, and I don't see the need (though perhaps the economic necessity) for cab and merlot. I've never much liked the sangiovese. Nonetheless, this remains a top source of excellent zinfandel in the age-it-you-fool style.
Edmunds St. John 2001 "Los Robles Viejos" White Rozet Vineyard (Paso Robles) Smooth peach and hazelnut, soft and slightly bretty, and hard to judge. There's a long, drying finish that helps clarify things, but I remember this wine being more generous in a previous vintage. I'd bet on it, but mostly because I trust the winemaker.
Edmunds St. John 2002 "Bone-Jolly" Gamay Noir (El Dorado County) Plum, raspberry and flowers with slightly rough tannin, but great intensity in that medium-light, berried, crisp and fun gamay style. As before, the only problem with this wine is somewhat clumsy tannin.
Edmunds St. John 2001 "Rocks & Gravel" (California) Lovely, balanced, and pretty, showing spiced, earthy fruit and graphite-textured tannin with the beginnings of a very pretty sort of complexity. Just great.
Edmunds St. John 2001 Syrah (California) Plum just shading into prune, plus smoked blackberries. Intense, but there's a shortening tar influence on the finish that slightly distracts. Still, this remains a bargain.
I guess you didnt sink my battleship
Edmunds St. John 2000 "Los Robles Viejos" Red Rozet Vineyard (Paso Robles) Mixed cherries, spiced, and earthy truffles in a rich, incredibly complex and long package. Outstanding. Monumental.
Edmunds St. John 2000 Syrah Wylie-Fenaughty (El Dorado County) Roughish, slightly stemmy blackberry, tar, and walnut with a seedy, somewhat closed palate. Very long, however, and I suspect it's thinking about shutting down for a while.
Edmunds St. John 2001 Syrah Peay Vineyard (Sonoma Coast) Plum and blueberry with rosemary and tracings of licorice, soft yet full-bodied with a touch of heat on the finish. A big wine, all around.
Edmunds St. John 2001 Syrah Bassetti Vineyard (San Luis Obispo) Plums encased in leathery structure, balanced and very long. Classic, textbook, high-quality syrah.
Edmunds St. John 1999 Sangiovese Matagrano Vineyard (El Dorado County) Resiny strawberry and aniseed with a short, raisined finish. Eh.
Steve just goes from strength to strength with this lineup (except for the Sangiovese), and it's terrific to taste the continuing quality of his Rhτneish wines reflected in his new offerings, especially the gamay. Great stuff.
Hartley-Ostini "Hitching Post" 2001 Pinot Noir (Santa Barbara County) Lightly burnt plum and strawberry cola. A touch flat, but OK.
Hartley-Ostini "Hitching Post" 2001 Pinot Noir Bien Nacido (Santa Maria Valley) Not aromatic at all, showing sweet strawberry and hot rhubarb on the palate. The finish is a bit tannic, and I wonder if this bottle might not be just a touch off.
Hartley-Ostini "Hitching Post" 2001 Pinot Noir "Saint Rita's Earth" (Santa Rita Hills) Morels and ginger-spiced strawberry soda with grey earth. Sweetly fruited with nice structure, long and tasty with aging potential, but edging towards a slicker, more Californicated style than some of their other bottlings. Though not necessarily the worse for it.
Yet another gratuitous shot
Hartley-Ostini "Hitching Post" 2000 Pinot Noir "Highliner" (Santa Barbara County) Smooth strawberry cola, fine-grained but very slick and modern. Yet good in that style.
Hartley-Ostini "Hitching Post" 2000 Pinot Noir Clos Pepe Vineyard (Santa Barbara County) A terrific strawberry blossom aroma with lyrical counterpoints of faintly tropical notes, salt and white pepper. Finishes with more strawberries, leaves included. Lovely and delicate, with the balance to age and expand.
Hartley-Ostini "Hitching Post" 2000 Syrah Purisima Mountain (Santa Ynez) Sweet berries and a little leather, with medium-high acid and a short finish. A "cute" syrah, for the short term.
Hartley-Ostini "Hitching Post" 2000 "Generation Red" (Santa Barbara County) Mixed sweet bell peppers; this wine is big and fruity, but just a little bit too green for completeness.
An uneven experience, but wines like the Clos Pepe prove they can still succeed with their alternative style of pinot here; even the New World-y bottlings like Saint Rita's Earth or Highliner are balanced and elegant compared to the emerging regional paradigm.
Luddite 2001 Abouriou Gibson-Martinelli Vineyard (Russian River Valley) OK, this is definitely my first varietal abouriou. And now I see what I've been missing: plum, blueberry, and rhubarb in a sweet fruit blend. Balanced but softening towards low-structure lushness, yet the fruit-juiciness makes it very nice to drink. I wouldn't let it age, however.
Luddite 2001 "Languid Duck" (California) As the pun would indicate, a vaguely Languedoc-inspired blend. Plush strawberry, raspberry, and roasted pecans supported by earth. The tannins aren't quite ripe, but there's potential here.
Where you go when you use too much wood
Luddite 2001 Cabernet (Diamond Mountain) A blend of the two cabernets, showing several of the worst characteristics of both: bell pepper, eucalyptus, and light cassis. Light and insignificant.
Perbacco 2000 Chardonnay La Linda Vineyard (Edna Valley) Juicy Fruit gum, light (but not completely unpleasant) rubber, and very, very, very low acidity. We've got a million of 'em
Perbacco 2001 Zinfandel (Paso Robles) Blended with 25% syrah, 13.9%. Sweet and juicy strawberry and sweet plum in fact, I'm not convinced this wine is completely dry. In any case, it's too simple and too sugary.
Perbacco 2001 Bacchus (Paso Robles) Same amount of zinfandel as the previous wine, but this time with 25% petite sirah. And much better: big blackberry, plum, and blueberry with a tarred character to the finish. Better, but not great; drink soon.
Rockland Road 2000 Petite Sirah (Napa Valley) Mushroom, dark cherry, and plum with dense, chewy tannin. Balanced, if a bit forward, with some medium-term aging potential.
Saxum 2001 "Bone Rock" Syrah James Berry Vineyard (Paso Robles) A restrained nose of baked black cherry pie, blueberry, and plum with salty minerals coming to the fore on the palate. Balanced, smooth, structured, and terrific for now or many years from now. A fine way to end this tasting.
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