We happy that Bernard, who has sampled so many wines, has shared his notes with us. We do have, or have had for sale a few of the wines Bernard writes about, and we include a link to our stock page whenever it is a producer we carry (but since the stock page is kept up-to-date and the wines are sold, don't expect any but the newest of wines to show up in our stock!). Mostly though, since we specialize in County of Santa Barbara Wine and Central Coast Wine, we don't carry a lot of the wines Bernard writes about. But we think it is important that you be able to have an idea what they're like in case you are planning to buy some somewhere, or have them in your own collection. Enjoy.

Here are Bernard's notes from June 23, 2002:

2001 Mount Edelstone Shiraz (10 year old vines)—A: Sweet, crushed blueberry, blackberry, mint. T: Spicy, smooth feel, blueberry. F: Some heat, abrasive fine tannins.

2001 Mount Edelstone Shiraz (80 year old vines)—A: Lower toned, evergreen, black cherry. T: Fine tannins, talc, charcoal, minerals, blackberry. Thicker, more intense, black plum. F: Fennel seed, tar, chewy tannins.

2001 Hill of Grace Shiraz (10 year old vines)—A: Black cherry, light toasty oak, slight tar. T: Lush, smooth, complex, blue/blackberry, black licorice. F: Fine, long, slightly pruny. More intense than Mt. Edelstone. 

2001 Hill of Grace Shiraz (100 year old vines)—A: Dr. Pepper, gnarly old viney pungent fruit. T: Very rich texture, suave, layered French oak, elegance with power. Dried strawberry/blueberry, cedar, tobacco notes. Keeps evolving in glass. F: Classy, perfect! This will be spectacular.

2001 Mount Edelstone Shiraz (control trellis 80 year old vines)—A: Slight brett, briary black raspberry, some French oak, cinnamon. T: Deep, rich, dark, brooding, blackberry, India ink. F: Velvety.

2001 Mount Edelstone Shiraz (Scott Henry trellis 80 year old vines)—A: Tight, slight berry, pepper. T: Sweet fruit, lighter mid-palate, more oak (American) than control. F: Kind of puckery, bitter.

1996 Mount Edelstone Shiraz (old vines)—Color starting to turn garnet. A: Slight raisin, anise, Not much fruit. T: Some sweet fruit up front, but hollow in middle. Developed, secondary flavors, tart, tarry. F: Very fine, talcky tannins. Not my style preference.

96 Hill of Grace—Color shows a bit of garnet. A: Tobacco, slight oxidation, licorice. T: Sweet black cherry, toast, briny, very tannic. Fairly neutral fruit-oak character. Muddled. F: Very long, puckery tannins. Needs 8-12 years.

Epilogue: The chance to try side-by-side young and old vine fruit from the same vineyards in the same vintage was illuminating. The older vines produced more complexity, as might be expected. The differences in trellising went beyond my level of expertise, or caring. The Henschke’s are scientists (biology/botany/biochemistry) and take a technical approach to experimenting in the vineyard. It was slightly confusing that the different trellis sampled happened to be aged in different oak, but there are economic limitations imposed on such experiments. I was disappointed in the two 96 finished wines. Perhaps because the wines had been poured over an hour before I got to sample them, more oxidation had developed than was desirable. Nevertheless, I have high expectations for the 01 vintage to be stellar.

The next workshop, “Grenache with Panache”, gave three noted CA Grenache producers a chance to comment on the varietal and their approaches to winemaking. The session was moderated by Manfred Krankl and featured Ehren Jordan (winemaker for Turley, Neyers, T-Vine), Steve Beckman (grower and winemaker at his eponymous winery; the vineyard is called “Purisma Mountain” located in Santa Ynez Valley), and Paul Draper (who needs no introduction). All three Ridge wines were released as part of their Advanced Tasting Program. The wines:

2000 Turley (from 60 year old Templeton vines)—A: Red cherry, cranberry, strawberry, some oak. T: Intense front palate, hollow middle. Stewed tomato, stewed cherry. Moderate fine tannin. Maybe a hot vintage? F: Lingering stewed fruit, slightly watery. Not my style.

2000 Neyers (includes 10% syrah, Hudson Vineyard, Carneros)—A: Sweet candy apple, clean baby diapers. T: Muddled cooked cherry, tomato, green pepper. Less ripe, more feminine than Turley. F: Puckery, soft tannin. Not my style.

2000 T-Vine (includes less than 10% syrah, Vineyard on Larkmead Lane off Silverado Trail, next to 3-Palms Vyd)—A: More classic strawberry, red raspberry, cocoa. T: Much lusher, plusher, richer black fruit, lot of layered (French?) oak. F: Some bitter tar.

2000 Beckman—A: Closed initially, then showing some boysenberry, cocoa. T: Very rich fruit, blackberry, good acid, very tannic. Rather simple flavors, one-dimensional, but good. Long, silky tannins. Needs 2-3 years.

1999 Beckman (The first vintage from Estate fruit)—A: Cranberry. T: Supple fruit with hollow midpalate, cranberry, cooked strawberry, ultra-fine intense powdery tannins, talcky. F: Chewy, simple fruit, very long, tannic persistence. Needs 3-5 years.

1999 Ridge Lytton Estate Grenache (with 17% Zin, 5% Petite Sirah)—A: Liqueur-like, cassis, minerals, dark chocolate. T: Very rich, extremely tannic, lush black fruit, tar, bitter chocolate. Good acidity. F: Very long, balanced, but very high tannin. Terrific wine, needs 5-8 years.

1998 Ridge Lytton Estate Grenache (with 20% Zin, 5% Petite Sirah)—A: Seemed slightly corked. Musty, dusty. Some cherry, cocoa. T: Briary, black fruit, very grainy tannins. F: Puckery, very long, grainy. Needs 4-6 years.

1997 Ridge Lytton Estate Grenache (with 18% Zin, 2% Petite Sirah)—A: Sweet cherry, vanilla oak, stewed tomato. T: Liqueur-like fruit, stewed tomato, cooked cherry compote, wash-water impurity to middle palate. F: Intense tannins, but not like the 99. Long, puckery, stewed fruit. Not to my liking.

Epilogue: This was the weakest of the four workshops, both in terms of the wine quality and the discussion. John Alban, notably, sat this out to give other Grenache producers a chance to have the podium to themselves. So the workshop could just as easily have been named “Second Tier CA Grenache”. I was surprised by the overall cooked/stewed quality to most of the wines. Only Beckman seemed to get freshness in the fruit with ample acidity. The Ridge’s seemed  to suffer from uncontrolled tannins, leaving a question mark whether the wines will soften before they lose their fruit. I was pretty disappointed with both the Turley and Neyers, but the T-Vine was quite pleasant.

The second day at Hospice du Rhone 2002 began with a tasting of Wines of Spain’s Priorat, conducted by the importer, Eric Solomon, and his wife, Daphe Florian. The principle grape is garnacha, followed by cariñena. Most of these wines are pretty big and rugged, typical of the terrain and its old vines. On to the line-up…

Again the Key: A=Aroma; T=Taste; F=Finish.

00 Conreria d’Scala Dei “Les Brugueres” (100+ year vines, 100% Garnacha Blanco, aka Grenache Blanc)—A: Lemon curd, honeysuckle, straw. T: Pineapple, pink grapefruit, chalky, stony. F: Some bitterness, very fine, crisp. Really lovely. 89 points.

01 Mas d’en Compte Blanco (Garnacha Blanco, Ponçalde Sherello, Picpoul blend)—A: Buttered toast, cashews, toasted coconut, guava. T: Soft acid, talc powder, balsa woood, dry pear, white peach. F: Fades fast, some lingering wood tones. Pleasant. 87

99 La Universal “Venus” (50% Carignan, 50% Syrah)—A: Crushed red berries, kirschwasser. T: Soft, chalky tannins, backward, dark cherry syrup, cola. Flat mid-palate. F: Fast fade. Not much, no off flavors. 87

00 Capafons-Osso Mas de Masos (30% Garnacha de Pais, 30% Garnacha Peluda, 30% Cab Sauvignon, 10% Cariñena)—A: Blueberry, light toast, pretty closed. Some tar. T: Parching chalky tannins. Blueberry, black cherry. Flat mid-palate. F: Bit alcoholic, short, drops quick at end. Probably needs 3-4 years. Consistent with impressions from previous night at the Villa Creek Priorat dinner. 86 now, 89-90 potential. 

00 Fra Fulco (100 year vines; 60% Cariñena, 30% Garnacha, 10% Cab Sauvignon)—A: Kirsch, blueberry, some aged meat. T: Very chalky, talcky, grippy tannins. Dry meat, blueberry, black cherry, cola. F: Alcoholic, blueberry juice. Moderate length. Needs 6-8 years. 90-92.

00 Capçanes “Cabrida” (100 year vines; 100% Garnacha; from Tarragona Zona Falset adjoining Priorat)—A: Black cherry, chocolate, toast. T: Tannic, silkier tannins than previous wines. Inky, black plum, Dr. Pepper, black cherry. F: Medium length. Chalky, silky tannins. Slight oak. Needs 3-5 years. 89-91

00 Clos Erasmus (approximately 65% Garnacha, 30% Cab Sauvignon, 5% Syrah)—A: Suave black cherry, toasty oak, patent leather. T: Seductive, rich, black cherry, cranberry, beet juice. Fairly lush oak (mix of Limousin and American, 30% new). Layered, brambly. Drops in mid-palate. F: Classy, long, cherry liqueur, very big fine chalky tannins. 93+

00 Mas Doix (55% Garnacha, 40% Cariñena, 5% Merlot)—A: Sweet cocoa, black cherry, cola, toast. T: Plush cranberry, wild strawberry (aka fraise de bois), blueberry liqueur, cola, oak. F: Very fine, plumy fruit, silky tannins. 89-91

99 Capçanes “Pansal del Calas Dulc VV” (70% 100 year vine Garnacha, 30% Cariñena; 100g/l residual sugar, 15.5% alcohol)—A: Sweet dry cherry, liqueur, nuts, dry figs. T: Lovely, sweet cherry, Dr. Pepper, layered chocolate, raspberry. F: Succulent, berries, some oak. Drink over next 3-6 years. 92-93.

Comments: Some of these wines were a bit challenging first thing in the morning, as evidenced by consistent chalky palate texture from the tannins. Overall quality was pretty high. Certainly, the reds need a little age to come together.

Although one might think it odd to follow these wines with a bunch of White Rhones, the next seminar featured exceptional quality wines whose freshness and acidity cut through the lingering tannins from the first session. The White Workshop was moderated by John Alban and featured the wines and commentary of Yves Cuilleron, François Villard, and Michel Chapoutier.

00 Cuilleron Condrieu “Les Chaillets”—Beautiful spicy pineapple, coconut. Rich, unctuous, tropical fruit cocktail. Long syrupy. Could have more acid, grip. 89.

96 Villard Condrieu “Poncins”—Great stony, mineral, hay nose. More minerals, leaner than above, lemon pie, butterscotch. Very long. Good acid. Quite nice. At peak now. 91

99 Villard St. Joseph “Mairlant” (50-50 Roussanne/Marsanne)—Closed nose. Honeysuckel, honeydew, tangerine, peach. Stony minerals. Balanced. Crisp finish. 88

98 Chapoutier St. Joseph “Granits Blanc” (100% Marsanne; 80 year vines)—Bouquet of  pear, white stone fruit, riverstones. White pear/peach/stone fruit. Soft chalky tannin(?!), honeydew. Very dry. Long finish. Will age long. Really needs food. 90-91

00 Cuilleron St. Joseph “St. Pierre” (100% Roussanne)—Some spice (nutmeg, mace), pear in bouquet. Succulent tropical fruit, but very dry. Guava, rich, minerally, complex. Chalky finish, long. Great food wine. Should age ~4-8 years. 92

98 Chapoutier Hermitage “Chante-Alouette” (100% Marsanne)—High-toned, elegant, feminine, minerals, white floral aromas. Some pineapple, pomelo, bitterness, minerals. Complex, chewy. Long. Slight mustiness and bit of heat in finish. Dusty. Needs 4-6 years, or more. Best with food. 91(+?)

98 Chapoutier Ermitage “Cuvee l’Orée” (100% Marsanne)—Crisp, closed, some lemon, hay bouquet. Very rich, deep, concentrated, but austere. Minerals, orange juice, coconut. Long, clean, crisp, bit tart. Needs 12-20 years. Spectacular. 95+

98 Chapoutier Ermitage “le Méal” (100% Marsanne)—Similar bouquet to l’Orée, with some nuts, high-toned grassiness/straw. Fruitier, tropical flavors, richer/clunkier than l’Orée. Slight unclean, chunky, chewy finish. 86 points now, perhaps low 90s if it cleans up in ~10-15 years.

00 Cuilleron “Ayguets” (Late Harvest Condrieu)—Huge nose of honey, botrytis, pineapple. Luscious, sweet, dry papaya, sapoté(!), butterscotch, concentrated. Fabulous, very long, complex finish. 96(+?)

98 Chapoutier Hermitage Vin de Paille (100% Marsanne)—Closed nose. Nothing at first. Later, as wine warmed, musk melon, furniture polish, golden raisins. Luscious, medium sweet, butterscotch, oily, tangerine, apricot. Good acid. Long, succulent, chewy finish. Needs many years. 93-98. 

Overall quality of the wines in this seminar was sensational. The speakers provided good entertainment as well as fine commentary. The wines kind of spoke for themselves, showing the exceptional level that northern Rhone whites can achieve. Chapoutier’s Cuvee l’Orée, in particular, may be the greatest dry white wine I’ve ever tasted. Although it is the most expensive white wine from the Rhone, it is priced comparable to the top Grand Cru Burgundy from the various hyphenated appellations (though less than Montrachet), and doubtlessly exceeds in quality all but a few. Also, the Chante-Alouette ought not be overlooked, as it can be found in the $30 range. 

The biggest enlightenment was how well the 3 St. Joesphs showed. I have generally dismissed St. Joseph Blanc, probably a reflection on the typical middling performance of the Vin Rouge. But in the hands of top producers, these are delightful food wines that pick up where dry chenin blanc leaves off.