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Lane Tanner Pinot Noir
92 Santa Barbara (A blend of Sierra Madre and Bien Nacido
fruit)--Light orange red. Open earthy, mushroomy, roasted nuts, burnt orange.
Tart, fading fruit. Acidic finish. thin, atringent. Over the hill.
72/100
93 Sierra Madre Vineyard--Light raspberry red. Floral, strawberry
nose. Fairly acidic, no tannin, guava (!), lime, some mushroom. Long acidic
finish. Would work with foods that would call for a white or rose
wine, like fish stew. 81
93 Bien Nacido--Medium ruby. Closed in, but typical BN nose.
Earthy, cherry, slight barnyard. Again tart, but more mid-palate comlexity.
Light maraschino cherry, raspberry, strawberry flavors. Long acidic finish
with some residual tannins. Quite delicious, but needs food. Bit of green
apple on finish. 87
94 Santa Maria Valley--Light red violet. Very open, funky, horse
blanket, black cherry, earthy, floral, bit diesel. Fuller flavor, more
tannic, complex, high acid, black cherry, earth, minerals. Longish
finish. 89
91 Sanford and Benedict Vineyard--Medium ruby. Warm black fruits,
violets, rosemary, minerals. Richer texture, more structured, somewhat
tannic, some red berry flavor. Finish is alcoholic, very long, fine. Needs
a few years still. Most Burgundian in style. 91
89 Benedict Vineyard (before Richard Sanford's involvement)--Light
red violet. Lovely, mushroomy, strawberry, floral. Bright, forward fresh
acidic raspberry. Very fine talcky tannins, very long, bright finish. Cherry.
Lush fruit. Still needs 2-3 years. 92
A little bloody pulpit-lite: These LT pinots were generally interesting
but mostly disappointing. Sierra Madre Vineyard pinots don't age. Drink
'em within 2-3 years. Lane often makes a very good Bien Nacido. The 93
is good, but not one of her best, and it's on the down slope. The
92 was much better and may still be holding, though I have not had a bottle
in a few years.
The (Sanford &) Benedict Vineyard produces the biggest, most brooding
PN (IMO) in SB County. They are built for aging. These two examples are
outstanding. Anyone who wants to argue about ageability of CA pinot
noir ought to try these. Other example of great PN from S&B fruit are
Au Bon Climat, Foxen and Sanford Barrel Select.
Qupe
Now on to Bob Lindquist's selections: 92 Marsanne--Light straw color.
Nice floral, tropical nose. Fine acidity, light weight. Very dry, fading
fruit. Some grapefruit, nuts, pear. OK finish. This was a real beauty in
its first 3-4 years, but is not holding well. Drink up soon. 85
94 Chardonnay Sierra Madre Vyd.--Light gold. Smoky, oaky, buttery
nose. Fairly oak driven palate. Orange, butter, hazelnut. Fine finish with
bitter almond. Definitely for oakaholics. Drink up. 87
91 Chardonnay Sierra Madre Vyd.--Light gold. Closed nose with
roasted nuts, lemongrass, celery. Better acidity, focus than the 94. Apple,
lemon, mineral complexity. Fine mid-palate, long finish. Nice balance,
structure. This wine was very austere, acid driven, very high strung
when first released, but it has settled down beautifully now. Still a bit
high strung, but it should continue to improve for a few years. 90+
90 Syrah Central Coast--Medium ruby. Smoky, tarry, funky nose,
horseblanket, maybe brett. Lush, ripe syrah flavor. Light texture with
some residual fine tannins. Fully mature. Earthy, plum, raspberry, dirt,
tar, maraschino cherry. Balanced finish. 88 Evidence of aging potential
of Qupe syrahs, and this was an under $10 wine when released.
92 Los Olivos Cuvee (67% syrah, 33% mouvedre)--Medium red violet.
Blackberry, earthy, mushroom nose. Smooth, dusty, tannic, black plum, sweet
cherry. Long, balanced finish, but on the light side in mid-palate fruit.
87+ Could go 1-2 more years.
89 Los Olivos Cuvee (60% syrah, 40% mouvedre)--Darker red violet,
no orange on the rim. Brooding, bretty, earthy, mushroomy, briary nose.
Very rich, smooth, complex. Black fruit, plum, minerals. Rich, earthy,
complex mid-palate. Finish is excellent, balanced. Ready now and will hold
a few years. 91
93 Syrah Los Olivos Reserve--Darker red violet. Fresh young syrah
nose. Oak and cherry. Very perfumey. Lush, ripe, rich syrah, young vine,
fruity. Balanced, low tannins. Excellent finish with sustaining fruit vibrancy
and acid. This wine would be best with food. 89
93 Syrah Bien Nacido Reserve--Dark purple. Very rich, brooding,
black fruit, briary nose. Violets, tobacco, no brett. Very full, rich textured,
silky. Ripe, rich syrah multidimensional, earthy, blackberry, blueberry,
fine tannins. Very long, glycerol finish. Lot of fruit. Complex. Decadent.
Still 3-4 years from peak. 93+
Yet another bloody pulpit: Bob Lindquist's wines have a proven track
record for aging, as demonstrated in this showing and by the wines poured
last year at the Qupe 15th Anniversary Retrospective held at the Los Olivos
Wine and Spirits Emporium. No question he makes world class Rhone varietal
wines (just ask Tom Hill!). Although Adam Tolmach (Ojai Vineyards) might
be getting more notice these days for his huge fruit bombs, the Qupe wines
have a longer track record of excellence in aging. And they are certainly
crafted more in an old world style, FWIW.
As I look over my notes from the previous retrospective, I see only
one wine in common:
Syrah 1993 "Bien Nacido Reserve"--Deep red/violet. Beautiful
nose. Black fruit/cherry/wet earth. Sweet, light body. Cherry. Fine tannins.
Smooth mid-palate. Good clean finish. Not as concentrated as the 91. From
magnum. (88)
It appears that the 93 BN syrah has put on some weight. That is a good
sign. |
