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Tasting Notes and Storyline by Bastardo
On September 1st, Wine Spec BB regular "Moe Vedre" brought his "Summer Tour" to Day-twah, so we invited him over for wine and dinner. And, since he was available, we invited Bored Doughnut, as well. These two are avid golfers, so they got together for 18 holes before coming to Gang Central. It also happened to be BD’s birthday, so I felt that it was incumbent upon this taster to return a favor that he had bestowed a few weeks earlier. (The occasion had been MY birthday, and I’d called B.D. to ask if I could come out and take a swim in the pretty little lake where he, Mrs. D and their family live. "Sure," he said, so I drove out and swam to my heart’s content. Afterwards, as I was about to leave, he dragged me down to his cellar, where he had two big-assed Reidel’s waiting with some ’96 Katherine Kennedy Santa Cruz Syrah in each. To make a long story short, we finished the whole bottle of this luscious beauty, and had a great time doing so, standing barefoot in his 55 degree cellar for at least an hour and a half, oohing and ahhing over every ounce.) One great syrah deserves another, so I made a point of picking up the last two bottles of the ‘95 Dehlinger Russian River Valley model at one of my local haunts. Imagine my surprise when he showed with Moe and another bottle of the KK! We exchanged greetings with Mr. Vedre, who had a few bottles of his own to add to the festivities. He doesn’t JUST have a great sense of humor (which is apparent from his many posts on the WS BBs), he’s actually a little twisted, so he fit in just fine with us, and we had a ball. The wines tasted were all of terrific quality, and only enhanced the experience. 1997 Pascal & Nicolas Reverdy
Sancerre "La Coute" $16.99 This has been a "Sauvignon Summer" for Madame L’Pour and me, so the ‘97 Reverdy Sancerre "La Coute" seemed like a good choice as an aperitif. And so this pale straw was, with its effusive grapefruit/lime/wet stone nose that carried through on the palate, with added mineral notes and crisp acidity. Very smooth and delicious already, this will improve with at least a few years in the cellar.
We moved on to the Dehlinger Syrah, and after his first sip, B.D. exclaimed "God, this is smooth... like velvet!" He had that right; this is an inky purple, with big sweet oak/aquarium/black raspberry/black currant/black cherry flavors and aromas that all but overwhelm the senses. With air, more damson Syrah character comes to the fore, supported by black olive/leather/hint o’ barnyard nuances that add complexity and interest. There’s a lot of oak here, to be sure, but it’s well integrated and only accentuates the luscious nature of this dark, irresistible wine. The ‘deaux Nut followed this with a glass of the Katherine Kennedy Syrah, and it is even sweeter than the Dehlinger. Another beautiful Syrah! Inky garnet, with good tannins and acidity, yet still very luscious and enjoyable now. Huge, dense extracted flavors and aromas of plum/reduced raspberry/black cherry/chocolate/spice with a bit of mint and aquarium on the nose. B.D. noted "earthier qualities of bramble/leather/truffle to balance the mouth watering fruit. A Doughnut 11.2 (on a scale of one to a dozen)." It was very hard to pick a favorite between the two of these, but if pressed, I’d give a very slight nod to the Dehlinger, for its deep brooding quality. After these big Syrahs, Moe poured us all a glass of the Neyers Zin that he brought with him, and it more than lived up to its advance billing. (It’s been getting very positive chatter on the wineboards.) This dark garnet is another that explodes with big, sweet, perfumed toasty oak that dresses up the reduced black raspberry/black cherry/spice on the nose and palate. An undertone of maple syrup emerges with air, yet another byproduct of the lavish oak, but despite this, the varietal character comes through loud and clear. An irresistible Zinfandel.
Then Moe pulled the ol’ double whammy by pouring us all a glass of the ‘96 Folie a Deux Old Vine Zin, and it was a decidedly different critter. He noted some initial heat in this dark garnet, and it was obvious to all of us that it wasn’t as spicy and in-your-face as the Neyers. That’s not to say that it’s a bad wine by any means, because the more we sipped it, the more we enjoyed its subtler, earthy briar/bramble/black cherry/raspberry qualities. The tannins and acidity need time, and perhaps that will help mellow a certain stemminess that this has as well. By now, it was time for dinner, and if I may say so, I’ve never grilled New York Strips any better. (Love that hardwood charcoal!) These were served with Madame’s Flaccido Gorgonzola mashed potatoes and asparagus steamed to perfection. B.D. brought along a ‘95 Folie a Deux Reserve Cabernet, which seemed like the perfect choice with such a menu, and in fact, it worked just fine. Dark garnet, with another good dose of toasty oak, this shows plenty of cassis/chocolate flavors and aromas, and added notes of cedar/cigar box/aquarium/maple syrup. We liked this a lot, but in truth, it needs another five years to mellow the considerable tannins. After dinner, B.D. had to split, as Family Doughnut was waiting patiently for him to blow out some candles. (An exact count is unavailable at this time, though they may have been just shy of 40.) We bid him adieu, feigning sadness, but thinking to ourselves evilly that there would be that much more of Moe’s De Loach Late Harvest Zin for us. As it turned out, however, we only finished half of the 375 ml bottle. Apparently, we knew our limits. The wine in question is deep, dark and if not mysterious, it certainly is huge. 17% alcohol and 12% residual sugar by weight, it’s super concentrated, with black cherry/plum/tar/dust and a hint of green pepper. Port-like, this needs some time in the cellar, or if you must have it now, some time in a decanter. This was confirmed by the two small glasses that I had the following night, when the big sweet oak treatment really came to the fore, along with lots of spice. Thick, viscous and luscious, this is a terrific example of a late harvest Zin, but of course, there ain’t none around Day-twah… Folks, if Moe ever brings his "Tour" to your area, don’t hesitate to invite him over for a glass or three. He’s a scream, and you won’t regret it.
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