Offline with Henry and Lauren Harris 

As we stood outside of Building C at the Mid-State Fairgrounds in Paso Robles after the Hospice du Rhône Grand Tasting, Henry (hank) Harris (left) wondered aloud if some of us who were heading north the Bay area the next day might want to stop in to the hacienda and have a glass of wine or two and a little something to eat.  Well, several of us said yes, and by the time we arrived at San Juan Bautista on Sunday afternoon, we had a sizable little crowd.  In attendance were hank's wife, Lauren, the Overberg clan, George Palmer and his delightful friend Mary Adams, Stephen Bozeman and HIS delightful friend Kim Bernard, hanks daughter, Brooke, her husband, Darrin and their daughters Sydney and Molly, califusa, the other Kim and this taster.  hank cooked up a killer batch of red beans and rice, showing off his Louisiana heritage (which is shared by Mr. Bozeman, by the way), and we sampled some very fine fruit of the vine.  Here’s a little rundown on what we tried. 

1996 Lucien Crochet Sancerre “Le Chene,” 12.5 % alc.: Medium straw with flavors and aromas of wet stone from a running river, a hint of bee’s wax and a little pear; acidity is toned down with a few years of bottle age, and some nice complexities have developed, but it still has more than enough zip to remain lively.  My kind of Sauvignon from a Loire master. 

George Palmer and Mary Adams

1998 Brander Santa Ynez Valley Sauvignon “Au Naturel”: Pale straw with a big cat spray/gooseberry/grapefruit/sweaty armpit nose that follows through on the palate in a nicely toned down way.   With a nice acidic zip and a perfectly acceptable finish, it only suffers from having followed the Sancerre. 

1995 Robert Mondavi Napa Sauvignon Blanc To-Kalon Vineyard “I-Block,” 12.5 % alc.: Pale to medium straw, with a little oak, a little vanilla and tropical aromatics of coconut/pineapple skin/guava rind and little citrus high notes according to Bree and hank.  With just enough acidity to keep it lively, this is one of the most unique Sauvignons I’ve tasted, and one of the very best.  From 50-year-old vines; 300 cases made.    

1997 Williams-Selyam Russian River Valley Pinot Noir Allen Vineyard, 13.8 % alc.: Ruby garnet with a smoky tinge and flavors and aromas of smoky black cherry/toast and a hint of creamy chocolate.  Classic Russian River Valley Pinot Noir, but as well as it is drinking already, Bree commented that “it’s too young and needs time to develop aromatics.”  Indeed, it has the silky tannins to take it some years down the pike.  Lots of oohs and ahs for this. 

1998 Robert Biale Napa Sangiovese Nonna’s Vineyard, 14.2 % alc.: “There’s nothing thin and acidic about this wine,” said Bree with a wry reference to the stereotypical description of the Italian version of the varietal.  Dark garnet, with raspberry/black cherry character and what Bree described as “dusty purple plum,” this is big, juicy and expressive, with good concentration, the obligatory acidity (but not too much!) and a few years worth of tannins.  Very nice indeed! 

1997 Alban Edna Valley Syrah Lorraine, 14 % alc.: Inky pinky purple garnet, with huge sweet plum/black raspberry/sea air perfume that follows through on the palate.  Big and jammy, yet stylish, with some finesse, hank called this “awesome,” and who am I to disagree?  And it has the stuffing to improve for some years. 

1984 Ridge Beatty Zinfandel ATP: Rusty ruby garnet with a soft nose of mature prune/mahogany and a restrained note of Draper perfume.  On the palate, it takes on added black raspberry, causing Bree to exclaim, “perfect and beautiful; it still has it all.”  One of the very best wines of the entire weekend, and it went very nicely with the red beans and rice. 

1998 Flowers Talmage Bench Mendocino Zinfandel, 14.8 % alc.: Dark garnet with a huge nose of spicy overripe extracted raspberry/plum/pomegranate, this has lost most of the slightly yeasty edge it had last month.  Flavors don’t just echo, they shout out loudly, with a long finish.  Bree said simply, “It’s there.”  Easily the best ’98 Zin I’ve tasted so far. 

So, there you have it, a terrific afternoon of great food, incredible wine and dear friends.  We can’t overstate what gracious hosts hank and Lauren are, and how very much we appreciate their hospitality.  I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, if these special people ever ask you over, don’t hesitate to accept their invitation.  You’ll be missing a wonderful experience.