Ultimate California Wine Blog

Well, the time has come… I am veering off the path of the single-minded winery tastings at last. It was finally brought to light by a very dear friend that I participate in so many extraordinary wine-tasting events that are not getting documented. There is also so much I am missing out by limiting my format to only reviewing wineries which I hope to rectify. Today, I start a new topic of Mass Tastings – something I do at least on a monthly basis at some place or another. I also coordinate and attend some astonishing Food & Wine pairings at various restaurants which will become its own category (a Pinot dinner at Manresa is coming up next month!). Most notably, I am looking forward to participating in Wine Blogging Wednesday which was started by Lenndevours. But first I will backtrack a bit to last Saturday’s Rhone Rangers tasting held at Fort Mason in San Francisco:

Outpost
03 Grenache – Lively and bright. Still young.
03 ‘Other’ Petite Sirah – Deep and dark and plummy.

Peay
03 Syrah – Massive black raspberry nose. Smooth entry. Exciting mid-palate with spicy finish.
02 Syrah – Dark and elegant. Spicy fruit with balanced acidic mid-palate.

Ridge
03 California Bugchignani Carignane – Immediate aromas of mineral and vegetable tones. Sharp entry with a dry finish.
01 Syrah/Grenache Blend – Exciting and bright fruit. A tad young but it moves briskly in the mouth with a dry end.
01 California Lytton Syrah – Even and smooth. Very enticing.
02 Lytton Petite Sirah – Tight and chewy
02 Lytton Syrah – Tantalizing aromas which evens outs to full, ripe berry.

Rosenblum
02 San Francisco Bay Cote du Bone – Bright and easy to drink.
02 Syrah – Wow factor in the nose. Jammy, chewy aromas which parallel the mouth entry.
03 Petite Sirah – I love a wine you can’t see light through… Inky purple with black raspberry and black plum nose. Sweet entry which explodes with fruit and spice. Killer wine for $19!

Copaine
03 Grenache – Candy shop aromas. Smooth entry which expands and fills with more tannins on the finish.
03 Syrah, Alexander Valley – From the Broken Leg vineyards. Elegant with dark, dark fruit aromas. Intensely smooth, even entry. Killer for $25
03 Syrah, Gary’s Vineyard – Amazing, deep, complex bouquet. Stunning layers on the entry with coffee tones along with the amazing fruits. $30

Beckmen
03 Cuvee le Bec – Candied red-hots in the nose. Spicy entry with full mouthfeel.
02 Syrah – Classic dark berry. Even entry with balanced fruit and layered, acidic finish.
03 Grenache – Candy shop, floral aromas. Full, even entry which explodes with stunning balance.
03 Syrah Clone #1 – Inky dark color, Thick, dark opulent aromas with dark, dark full mouthfeel.

Andrew Murray
Esperance – A blend of Grenache, Mourvedre, and Syrah. Port-like candy aromas. Truly bizarre sensation of Sweet & Sour in a single sip. Intensely l-o-n-g finish of both Sweet AND Sour!
03 Syrah – Bright and evenly tannic. Enticing plum and cherry.
03 Estate Syrah – Elegant and even Oriental spices combine with the plum and berries to produce a long, dry spicy finish.
02 Hillside Syrah – Port-like aromas that fade to eucalyptus and mint. Seems to enter the mouth like a port as well…

Tablas Creek
04 Roussane (from the Barrel) – Kiwi and bright fruits (one of three whites I tried because it was poured before I could tell them not to — I liked it better than I thought I would!)
02 Cotes de Tablas – Candy shop aromas and sweet-ish on entry. Dry, tannic mid-palate.
02 Esprit de Beaucastel – Intensely ripe strawberry but overtly mineral mid-palate.

Rockblock
01 Del Rio Syrah – Like a hunk of smoky, BBQ meat. Aromas and tastes of cherry and cedar. Earth and chocolate. Long and distinctive.
02 Seven Mills Syrah – Unlike the previous, overtly jammy, fruity offerings, this is one of the first wines to smell like, well…. WINE! No jam but earthiness that is rich and bright. Not brett, though! Engaging but still a bit tight.

Edmund St. John
NV(?) Shell & Bone – So called from the limestone. Another white I was talked into but jeez, was I ever glad! Kiwi and peach aromas that were intensely exciting. Mid-palate of honey’d peach. Complete wow factor. $25
04 Roussanne – Slightly grassy aromas. Creamy finish.
01 Syrah – Dry and vegetal. — Honestly, I somewhat slammed for that note when it got posted on a wine site. I’m chalking it up to a tired palate and look forward to tasting ESJ wines again shortly as the rest were phenomenal.
01 Los Robles Vejos – Elegant fruit, well-balanced with both dark berries and earth that ended in a bit of a jammy tease.

Ehrardt
03 Petite Sirah – Amazind cedar bouquet. Smoth and bold entry. $26

Fife
00 Carignane – Candied cinnamon gives way to strawberry.
?? L’Atitude – Dry, mineral, and thin.
01 Syrah – Jammy nose. Nice swallow (the only trickle that went down my throat by accident…)
00 Syrah – Spicy cedar which slightly paled in the mouth.
00 Petit Syrah – Great, dark, fruity nose with a slightly dry mid-palate.
00 Max – Huge, plummy and big.