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And the usual ramblings from the bloody pulpit:
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AlexisBailly: These were a gift to us from JimVerlautz when he visited
SantaFe from St.Paul about a month ago. I had one of the AlexisBailly reds
way back when and thought it was pretty decent hybrid wine. The Seyval
(a Villard & Seibel crossing) was fairly attractive in the nose and
had a verey tart/lean palate; but a likable wine a bit like a Southern
Rhone on acids. The Marechal Foch had a raging volatility to it that pretty
much obliterated any other character in the wine. One of the character
I often find in wines from hybrid varieties is a plastic-like component,
a plasticizer from newly formed plastics. Go to any HomeDepot, take the
lid off of a new plastic trash can and stick your head inside; that's the
smell I'm talking about. But it is usually, for me, the identifier of a
hybrid wine. In this Seyval, I only found a hint of that component.
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ShenandoahSauvignonBlanc: I've followed LeeSobon's SBs from the very start,
the '8That wine was a stunny wine in it's youth; loaded w/ an intense Semillon-like
fruit and a strong charred/toasty/oak component; and lived a long life
afore expiring. This '82 version was a much lighter wine in its youth and
much less impressive. I was expecting this wine to be DOA. In fact, it
was still very much alive and not at all unpleasant. It even had a bit
of the character I've found in old HautBrion Blancs. Pretty interesting
wine.
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TyrellSemillon: This wine I got from Darrell Corti on his recommendation.
It is a pretty underwhelming wine right now. It took some Best of
Show in 2001 in Sydney I believe. It has a very schreechy acidity to it
that feels like it's scouring your teeth. It is, however, a wine that promises
a lot down the road w/ age, if my experience with Oz Semillons means anything.
This is a wine that needs at least 10 yrs and will probably last for 40-50
yrs, and evolve into a stunning wine I suspect/guarantee. What's
interesting is that I found a distinct pungent/oaked character in both
the nose and the taste. Yet the wine is totally unoaked. I'm just as clueless
as certain famous Monktown attourneys, I guess. I've found this, particularly,
in older Oz Semillons, a distinct oaky character, when they had never seen
a splinter of oak in their life. Go figure.
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J.J.McHale wines: These wines were given to us to try by Dave Crippen,
winemaker. The Chard and Pinot, made from Mendocino grapes, were very attractive/well-made
wines; better than most of the Mendocino wines I try. But I was most taken
by his ClearLake SB. Most of the ClearLake SBs I've tried have been rather
boring/simple little wines. This one had much more character than any I've
had and a lovely peppery/smokey quality to it. The winery is located in
Clear Lake/Lake County. He has a Syrah coming upon a Sept release that
I'm particularly looking forward to trying. Don't think I've yet had a
Syrah from Lake County, so interested in what that area can produce.
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Carabella PinotGris: We had their Pinot last week and was not impressed
at the $36 price point. OTOH, this PinotGris is a terrific PG and well-priced
to boot. Most OR PG tend to be a bit on the hard/lean/austere side for
me. This one had the richness and lushness that I olnly find in Alsatian
versions. Much better than any Calif ones I've had, thus far.
TomHill
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