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And the usual less-than-profound pronouncements from the
bloody pulpit:
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Andrew Murray: His new Esperance is terrific red wine, rather in the Aussie
style; killer stuff. His '97 Grenache was world-class, nearly as good as
the Alban Grenache; making those two head & shoulders above any others
in Calif. I've heard nothing but good reports on Andrew's '97 Syrahs; 2
of which were released yesterday. I've followed Andrew's wines from the
very start (heard that refrain before??). I first met him at the '96 WineCask
futures tasting. His pouring table was right next to the AuBonClimat table.
There was this mob (for a WC Futures tasting, anyway) around that table
milling about. And then there was this tall, lanky kid (they're ALL getting
to be "kids" anymore, it seems!) in a baseball hat standing there all alone;
his first showing of his wine ('94 Syrah) to the public. Since I didn't
recognize the name, I made a bee-line for that table to find about him
and his wine. Tasted that Syrah & was immediately impressed; black
color; loads of intense blackberry/cassis fruit; bit stinky/reduced nose;
huge mouthfilling flavor with fierce tannins, one of the most tannic Calif
wines I've had. As I visited w/ Andrew; I was quite struck by his passion
for Rhone-style wines, his intelligence, and his vision for making world-class
Rhones there in Santa Barbara, and his quiet, low-key demeanor. Took an
instant liking to the guy and his wine. His wines have been very consistent
in style; the reds pretty big extracted & tannic. I figured that once
he got the tannin management down, w/o making the wines light or eviscerated;
he would become among the top tier of the Calif/ Rhone producers. Based
on this '97 Esperance and his '97 Grenache, I would say Andrew Murray has
achieved that status. Keep your eye on this guy and his wines.
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Ogier: I've always loved the Cote-Roties from this producer. They're not
particularly big/extracted C-Rs but more on the elegant/racy side of the
spectrum. This terrific '95 is one of the best of his I've had. Worth tracking
down.
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The '88 Sorrel Hermitage was Howard & Rhoda's mystery wine. Howard
didn't know I was having the '96, so it was an incredible coincidence they
brought it.
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SineQuaNon: Another stunning wine from manfred & elaine krankl. Though
it's loaded w/ charred/toasty/oak, it has all the fruit you need to balance
out the oak. Tasting it was much like Ridge Geyserville or MonteBello Cab....
I'd keep going back to it and finding different things... truly a
complex young red wine that'll be fun to watch evolve. One of the best
Rhone reds from Calif of this vintage, if not the best.
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Alquier LateHrvst Viognier: An incredible dessert wine; some like the Cuvee
Madame, only better. The group had a big discussion (that eventually devolved
into fisticuffs between Howard and I, but the issue was settled when I
pulled out my epee) on this wine as to if botrytis was involved or not.
Because of it's cleanliness & lack of browning & raisining &
lack of volatility and because of the growing area (somewhere in Southern
France, I presume); I thought no botrytis was involved. Because of its
peachy/honeyed character; many thought there was botrytis present. In fact,
I suspect it could even be an icebox ice wine. But, whatever; amazing dessert
wine.
TomHill
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