We happy that Bernard, who has sampled so many wines, has shared his notes with us. We do have, or have had for sale a few of the wines Bernard writes about, and we include a link to our stock page whenever it is a producer we carry (but since the stock page is kept up-to-date and the wines are sold, don't expect any but the newest of wines to show up in our stock!). Mostly though, since we specialize in County of Santa Barbara Wine and Central Coast Wine, we don't carry a lot of the wines Bernard writes about. But we think it is important that you be able to have an idea what they're like in case you are planning to buy some somewhere, or have them in your own collection. Enjoy.

Here are Bernard's notes from February 3, 2000:

98 Whitcraft PN (Bien Nacido Q-Block)--Bit closed. Some distinctive Bien Nacido earthy, mushroomy aromas. Very soft, forward, silky mouthfeel. Some fecal components peak through, but not as excessive as usual. 88(-?)

97 Rivetti La Spinetta "Pin" (Monferrato Rosso)--A blend of barbera, nebbiolo and cab sauvignon. Good dark color. Smokey bouquet. Dark fruit shows both in nose and on palate, like a young Ch. Montelena Cab. Very suave, seemless, backward. Needs 6-8 years. 91+

97 Fonterutoli Siepi--Very dark. Gorgeous black currant, cola, French oak(?) nose. Sweet, lush, rich fruit. Black cherry, plum, chocolate. Very deep,  rich. Good length. Will be great in 6-8 years. 95-97.

97 Del Dotto Cabernet Sauvignon--Smokey bouquet. Higher acid than the next wine (the David Arthur). Fine black fruit, but thin mid-palate and slightly disjointed finish. Needs 3-5 years to become 90+.

97 David Arthur Cabernet Sauvignon--Sweet cherry, vanilla cola nose, and tastes like it smells. Cherry cola, tar. Good grip. Tannic finish. This is a sculpted wine. 93+

97 Steven Kent Cabernet Sauvignon--(What's with all these wineries with two first names?) Very dark, sweet cherry, chocolate, vanilla nose. In the mouth, sweet cherry cough syrup. Oak is a bit disjointed. Needs time to integrate. Tannins also a bit drying. Not as forward as the David Arthur, but should be longer lived. Needs 5-8 years with 92-94 potential.

97 La Jota 16th Anniversary Cabernet (Howell Mountain)--Gorgeous black cherry and violets in the nose. Super suave, concentrated. Tar and plum skins. Strong tannins, but big fruit. Finishes with tar, bitter tannins, bitter wood. Should soften nicely. 88 now, 94 in 10-12 years.

97 Pahlmeyer Merlot--Anise nose. Cherry, Dutch cocoa. Very tannic. Needs  long time to shed tannins. Sweet fruit, but bitter skins. Give it 10+ years. 88-89 now. Potential for 95.

94 Peter Lehmann Shiraz (Stonewell)--Vanilla cola nose. Black cherry cola, tarry, dense. Plummy bouquet. Low acid, short finish. Decent but unexciting. 88

98 Lengs and Cooter Shiraz Reserve (McLaren Vale)--Grapy nose. Chewy texture. Slight briny character. Black cherry, licorice. Rather tarry tannins. Bit short in finish, but smooth. Serious black licorice in  mid-palate. Should be pretty good in 2-4 years. 91

98 Fox Creek Shiraz Reserve--Black violet color. Spicy cola, eucalyptus, black plum nose. Extremely dense, concentrated, extracted. In a nutshell, everything we've come to expect of the Fox Creek Reserve! Pure fruit overlayed by toasty oak. Immense and impressive. Very long. Slight band-aid medicinal quality in mid-palate. 90 now, 95+ in 15 years.

97 Domaine Scea les Capitelles Clos de Truffieres Syrah "Hommage a Max" (Fleury d'Aude in Languedoc)--Take a deep breath before you read any further. After all, what the hell is a "simple Languedoc" doing here amidst some world class selections? I digress... Initial whiff of a Burgundian earthy bouquet  howing toasty oak. Gradually the syrah takes center stage in the nose. Incredibly refined, pure, essence of black fruits, supported by exquisite oak. Sweet blueberry flavors. A SQN knock-off, tastes like "Against the wall". Very long finish. Give this 8-12 years. 95-96 

98 Neyers Syrah Hudson Vineyard--Very forward vanilla, chocolate nose. Very tannic, severe and astringent attack. Concentrated, sweet fruit showing plum and black raspberry flavors. But fruit takes back seat to tannins now. Fruit should come to fore in 7-8 years, but for now a real beast. 85 now, with chance to hit the 91-92 range when the tannins recede.

97 Whitcraft Legrein--(Legrein is a petite sirah/cab franc hybrid.) Very dark purple. Perfumy, roses and briar patch. Very unusual intense petite sirah-like fruit with extreme tannins. This could be the MOST tannic wine I've ever actually enjoyed. Blueberry-ish. Very long. No awkward edges, just severely tannic. Needs 15-20 years. None of the characteristic Whitcraft fecal quality. I wonder what Chris did wrong? <g> 92+ (94 potential)

Lo and behold! Another telltale pulpit:

But don't expect to find this without some agonizing. There were only 267 cases made, only about 20 got into California, and it costs too much anyway (~$70). That's why I bought it. So some time in the future I can stick it in as a ringer in a SQN vertical. It is imported by Jeffrey Davies.

In case you didn't notice, the Fox Creek Reserve did not suck. It's available. Get on the stick. You'll want to be sure to get some.

Finally, just in case some of my Italophile friends out there have been asleep at the wheel, the Siepi is not to be missed. It's pricy, it's scarce. But it's the real deal (half Sangiovese, half Merlot). It puts the SUPER back into super-Tuscan!

Oh and BTW... Did I just scoop Tom Hill again? Sorry, Tom. But you're still  leading, 649 to 24 (I think that's in dog years).