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 September 7, 1997:

Bob is one of the original Rhone Rangers. I've been a big fan of his wines since I was first exposed to them in 1990.

My ratings are out of 100 points and reflect the pleasure factor as well as expectations for the varietal/blend. (A 100 point pink wine is possible under this system.) No prices given because most wines are no longer available.

To start the evening, a surprise wine to accompany hors d'oevres prepared by the Hitching Post (located in Casmalia and Buellton, also makers of excellent Pinot Noirs):
 

Now the Qupe wines:

1. Pinot Noir blanc 1982--The very first Qupe release. 91%% pinot noir, 9%% chardonnay. Normally, pink wines are not expected to last this long. Color of honey, oxydized nose. Still fruity, intense flavor, a bit alcoholic. Finishes clean. (78)
2. Vin Blanc 1984--A real throw-back to the older days of California wine blending, 32%% chenin blanc, 34%% chardonnay, 34%% pinot blanc. Straw color. Hay/mineral nose. Good acidity and fruit. Mead/bitter almond/citrus. Crisp, flinty. Minerally finish with citrus pith. Amazing longevity. (85)
3. Marsanne 1987 "Los Olivos Vineyard"--Light straw. Hay/earth nose. Apples. Big, flavorful. Good acidity. Faded fruit. Minerals/chalk. Bitter finish. Hollow mid-palate. (80)
4. Marsanne 1995 "Ibarra-Young Vineyard"--Very light straw. Closed nose. Honeysuckel? Some sulfur. Complex, good fruit. Minerals, grapefruit. Lingering finish. Not as vibrant as when I had this a year ago. (85)
5. Viognier 1996 "Ibarra-Young Vineyard"--Almost colorless, so pale. Very closed because wine was so cold. After warming, revealed peach, cloves, pineapple, linament bouquet. Vibrant flavor, characteristic Qupe bitterness. Very complex flavors, very long finish. Served in half-bottles. (90)
6. Chardonnay 1983 "Sierra Madre Vineyard"--Medium yellow. Butterscotch, oaky nose. Delicious, good balance. Fruit held up well. Earthy nose. Complex, long finish. Aged remarkably well. Magnum. (89)
7. Chardonnay 1996 "Bien Nacido"--Light straw. Citrus/lemon/lime nose. Slightly angular attack. Opens up on mid-palate. Big/round/complex/oaky. Lingering finish. Seems slightly green,stemmy. Magnum. (88)
8. Chardonnay 1988 "Sierra Madre Vineyard"--A little stinky. Honey, toast, bretty nose. Perky mouthfeel. Seems off. Crisp, grapefruit, acidic finish. Magnum. (82)
9. Roussanne 1995 "Alban Vineyard"--Straw. Brilliant nose, like botrytised late harvest sauvignon blanc. The nose alone makes this worth buying. (Bob confirmed later that 15-20%% of the grapes were affected by botrytis. This is apparently common for this hard-to-grow varietal.) Very dry, well- balanced. BUT... the wine does not live up to its great bouquet, at least at this stage of its life. Disappointing mid-palate, low viscosity, I  would like more fruit. Flinty, mineral flavors. (87 now, I'd like to see how this ages. I hope the wine in the mouth catches up to the nose.)

Additional comments: Chateau Routas is Appelation Coteaux Valois Controlee. The Valois is  located in the Var department in Provence, located about mid-way between Marseille and Nice. It is not one of your more famous wine regions. Bob seems to be bringing new life and modern wine-making and vineyard skills to the Chateau. Routas has 100 year old Carignane vines. Similar vines are being replaced over much of the south by merlot, chardonaay and other faddish varietals that have no track record in the region. The owners of Ch. Routas are intent on preseving their vine heritage. Bob will be bottling an old vines carignane and also using some in a red blend (with syrah, cab. sauvignon, grenache, whatever). There will be altogether 4 reds, 2 whites and one pink wine from Ch. Routas. I can't wait to try the others.

Bob seems to have hit his stride with his white varietals in the past few years, especially the rhone offerings. His Marsanne has been one of my favorite summer whites, priced in the $10 range. He also offers a white "Los Olivos Cuvee" that is typically half chardonnay and half viognier. It too is a very good wine to look for.

I was surprised by the staying power of the 83 Chard. It seems that the varietal in California has such a poor track record for aging that I very rarely risk holding them more than 5-6 years. The poor showing of the 88  confirms the risk in holding these bottles too long. It's still fun to find out what happens to a chardonnay as it ages. This isn't Corton-Charlemagne, but there are occasional gems in California (like Stony Hill) that get better with time.

Reds. Now it's time to get serious:

1. Syrah 1982 "Paso Robles"--Bob's first syrah. Light red, orange edge. Gamy, wet dog, earthy. Appealing. Fading fruit. Still some tannins. A bit acidic middle. Bitter aftertaste. (83)
2. Syrah 1992 "Central Coast"--Deep ruby red. Huge nose/earthy/gamy/ briary/red and black berry nose. Horsey. Lovely. Sweet, luscious, beautiful fruit. Great syrah. Excellent balance. (93)
3. Syrah 1996 "Central Coast"--Purple. Berryish nose. Good fruit concen- tration. Sweet approach. Lovely mouthfeel, deep mid-palate. Lingering  finish. Good tannic structure. Should evolve nicely. (90 now, should get even better.)
4. Los Olivos Cuvee 1991--60%% syrah, 40%% mouvedre. Medium red. Earthy/ horsey/hay/appealing. Slight sweetness. Lovely fruit. Well-rounded. Delicious. Could drink this all day, everyday. (88)
5. Los Olivos Cuvee 1995--50%% syrah, 50%% mouvedre. Medium violet. Junior league nose compared to the 91. Tastes thin, simple. Light, Beaujolais style. Very light tannin. Simple finish. From magnum. (82)
6. Syrah 1988 "Bien Nacido Reserve"--Controversial. Bob's favorite wine of the night, I found this very off. Good color. Bouquet of adhesive tape/ walnuts/burnt rubber/onions. Gone bad. Putrid off-taste. Bob says this is a rustic quality that he likes in Rhone wines, like bacon. Sorry, I have an honest disagreement with the winemaker here. In spite of the faults with the wine, it still had a good tannic core and concentrated fruit. But I couldn't get past these strange components. Fortunately, Bob hasn't figured out how to get this feature into all his syrahs! So I still think he makes the best syrah in the US. 3 liter bottle. (50)
7. Syrah 1991 "Bien Nacido Reserve"--Purple. Earthy, subdued berry and  dried fruit aromas. Still intense, concentrated tannic. Big, full mouthful. Great syrah. Can still use a few more years of age, it has the fruit and tannic structure to continue to improve. I bought some when it was first released and it gets better every time I drink it. 5 liter bottle. (94)
8. 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)
9. Syrah 1995 "Bien Nacido Reserve"--Deep violet. Intense nose of berry concentrate, camphor. Short of tannins on mid-palate, finish. Disappointing compared to other BN Reserves. Could it improve with age? Magnum. (86)
10. Syrah 1995 "Bien Nacido Hillside Select"--Bob's second vintage from this section of the BN vineyard. The 1994 is a tough act to follow. To my taste, the 94 Hillside is the finest California syrah I've had. Bob likes the 95 better. We'll see. I actually jumped ahead to taste this wine after #14, while I still has my taste buds. Medium purple. Closed in, but sexy/berry/ earthy/ nose. Perfumey. Not as big as the 94. Good fruit, somewhat light  viscosity. Dusty tannins. Slightly coarse, hot finish. Should come around in a few years. (88 now, 90+ around the turn of the century?)

The best QPR [Quality to Price Ratio]  of the evening has to be the 1996 Syrah Central Coast. It is just out and can probably be bought in the low teens. Will it be as good as the 92 in a few years. It's worth a try.

Bob Lindquist is a great guy, an excellent winemaker, and has the energy to keep expanding his efforts. All of his wines are worth trying. The Qupe's are consistently very good to excellent, and some of his syrahs are truly outstanding wines. The Chateau Routas wines will definitely be worth checking out--there're so many instances of French winemakers coming to America to make wines, now we have an American winemaker going there. It will be interesting.

Only disappontment of the evening--Bob did not bring his Thumbs-Up Late Harvest Riesling, a phenomenal dessert wine made in collaboration with Jim Clendenon. Bob and Jim have been co-conspirators in winemaking for many years now, producing some of the most interesting and bold wines on the Central Coast. The Thumb-Up was a brilliant, maybe one-time, wine. The market for Riesling is so precarious, most growers have replanted. If you love Riesling, please buy more California grown or it will continue to decline.