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The Tom Hill Archives

The Los Olivos Wine & Spirits Emporium presents the musings and reflections of Tom Hill. We think it's great that Tom, who has sampled so many wines, has shared his tasting notes with us. We do have, or have had for sale a few of the wines Tom 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 for sale, 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 Tom 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 Tom's notes from March 24, 1998: 

California and Australian Rhones

Tasted a few California/Australian Rhones last week. 
 
 
  1. Foxen Santa Ynez Valley Viognier Rothberg Vineyard (15%) '97: Med.gold color; beautiful  fragrant aromatic peachy/Viognier perfumy/smokey/spicy bit minerally nose;  tart citric lean stoney/peachy/Viognier very spicy light oaked bit minerally  flavor; long ripe peachy/Viognier some stoney/minerally/lean finish; needs a bit of age yet; beautiful fragrant nose w/ nice minerally/Condrieu character.
  2. Pride Mountain Vineyards Sonoma County Summit Ranch/Spring Mtn (13.0%) '96: Med.gold color; rather Tokay/PG-like smokey light peachy/Viognier bit honeyed (botrytis?) very ripe grapey nose; soft fat plush honey/grapey/very ripe rather Tokay/PG flavor; med.long grapey/very ripe honey bit earthy finish; not much Viognier character; bit on the clunky/clumsy/overripe side. Not worth $28.
  3. Boeger El Dorado Viognier (13%) '95: Med.gold color; fragrant flowery/Riesling- like spicy very light peachy some earthy nose; soft light floral/grapey/R-like light earthy bit coarse flavor; short soft fat light R/floral/grapey earthy finish; a rather dull R-like wine w/ little Viognier character.
  4. Thornton South Coast Pastiche (65% GrenacheBlanc, 20% Viognier, 15% Monbadon; alc: 12.5%) '95: Med.dark gold color; very butterscotchy/caramel aromatic toasty bit clumsey/coarse nose; very soft fat flabby butterscotchy/caramel toasted/buttery flavor; very long fat porky toasted/burnt butter/butterscotch/caramel finish that goes on and on; somewhat interesting if porky style white. 
  5. Jade Mountain Cotes du Soleil (14.5%) Calif RW '96: Med.color; strong fragrant spicy Zin-like plummy/grapey nose; soft dusty/plummy bit sour/metallic buttery plummy/ Mourvedre flavor; med.long plummy/earthy/dusty plummy finish w/ light tannins; attractive pleasant blend (Zin/Mourvedre?). 
  6. Jade Moutain La Provencal Calif RTW (13.6%; Mourvedre & Syrah) '95: Med.dark color; deep plummy/Mourvedre earthy/dusty slight horsecollar/brett very spicy nose; soft rich plummy spicy/dusty bit horsecollar flavor; med.long very spicy/dusty very plummy/Mourvedre slight bretty/horsecollar finish w/ light tannins; a very nice drinking Rhone blend.
  7. Premiere Napa Valley Edgewood Estate Napa Valley Petite Sirah (Lot No.85 Premiere Napa Vlly 1997; 12.8%) '94: Black color; intense pungent dusty slight stinky/H2S some horsecollar/brett smokey/peppery nose; soft fat flat very tannic light peppery rather dusty/earthy/clunky flavor; short very tannic soft flat light peppery some oaked/dusty finish; loaded w/ tannin & rather underacir; a rather clunky classic old-style Calif PS; needs much age & more fruit.
  8. Robert Biale Napa Valley Old Vineyards Petite Sirah (16.1%) '95: Very dark color; fragrant very aromatic perfumed spicy peppery pencilly/Fr.oaked licorice/smokey nose; soft buttery very spicy pencilly/Fr.oaked/vanilla peppery/tannic dusty/old vine flavor; very long licorice/peppery very pencilly/Fr,oaked dusty rich textured tannic finish; needs 4-10 yrs; a beautiful aromatic PS (Zin therein??)
  9. Bonny Doon Old Telegram Calif Mataro/Mourvedre (14%) '95: Very dark color; fragrant perfumed/plummy spicy/pungent/licorice smokey complex nose; soft very perfumy plummy very spicy light herbal (Soledad grapes?) some oaked/dusty flavor; long very perfumed/plummy aromatic very spicy bit herbal finish w/ light tannins;  a lovely complex very aromatic Mourvedre for the near term; bit overpriced at $24.
  10. Frankland Estate Western Australia Isolation Ridge Shiraz (13.5%; Contains: Approx 8 Standard Drinks) '94: Dark color; strong dusty oaked low fruit herbal smokey bit lean/Rhonish nose; hard dusty lean oaked bit herbal slight spich/Shiraz flavor; med.long hard dusty earthy low fruit some Rhonish/CdR finish w/ some tannins; not the lush fruit/lavish oak of most Oz Shiraz; sorta clunky. 
  11. Lane Tanner Santa Ynez Valley Syrah (TW; JK Vnyd) '96: Very dark color; deep dusty/ gamey very roasted some blackberry/Syrah smokey/complex sone toasted/oak  very violets/floral nose; tart hard gamey roasted pungent charred/oak dusty some floral/ violets blackberry/Syrah spicy flavor; long tart gamey raosted/pungent toasty/ charred/oaked light blackberry/Syrah bit walnutty very spicy flavor; needs 4-8 yrs; a very interesting very Rhone like unusual Calif Syrah; terrific wine at a very good price.
  12. Foxen Santa Ynez Valley Syrah Morehouse Vineyard (13.8%) '96: Dark color; intense coffee/ espresso roasted smokey/dusty charred/oaked very Rhonish nose; soft big charred/ oak ripe lush herbal/walnutty pungent some blackberry/Syrah flavor; very long espresso/coffee/dusty/charred oak smokey some blackberry/Syrah finish w/ some tannins; not as big & extracted as the '95 but a very interesting/Rhoneish Syrah; needs 3-6 yrs.
  13. Charles Cimicky Barossa Valley Signature Shiraz (13.9%) '94: Black color; intense tobaccoy/Am.oaked intense blackberry/Syrah/framboise/licorice very spicy nose;  soft intense licorice/ framboise/ blackberry coffee/espresso tobaccoy/charred/ Am.oaked vanilla smokey flavor; very long soft fat intense licorice/charred/Am.oak intense blackberry/framboise finish w/ some tannins; classic soft fat very intense very oaked Aussie Shiraz; loads going on in this wine.
  14. Jim Barry McCrae Wood Clare Valley Shiraz (14.0%) '94: Black color; intense dusty/ walnutty oaky espresso/pungent/charred low fruit nose; very tart walnutty dusty some oaked low fruit hard/lean flavor; long hard tannic/walnutty/ espresso/coffee dusty/smokey finish w/ ample tannins; not that much fruit & rather atypical of Aussie Shiraz; should mature into an interesting wine.
  15. Rosemont Estate Balmoral McLaren Vale Shiraz (13.5%) '95: Black color; very intense licorice/Syrah roasted complex almost C-R/pungent charred oaked very framboise/ blackberry complex nose; huge rich pungent/roasted bacon fat toasty espresso/coffee blackberry/framboise/Syrah complex flavor; very long lingering very intense licorice/ blackberry/ framboise espresso/ roasted/pungent complex finish w/ ample tannins; needs 5-15 yrs; killer Shiraz, best Balmoral yet by far.
 
  And the usual pontifications from the bloody pulpit: 
  1. The Rosemont Balmoral '95.... incredible wine. Very intense loaded w/ everything and the structure for aging over the long haul. Very Grange-like. 
  2. The Biale PS '95 was probably their best '95 wine. And one of the most aromatic fruity PS I've had in a long time. Great stuff. 
  3. Lane Tanner Syrah: given to us compliments of Bob Senn at the Los Olivos Wine & Spirits Emporium. Her first Syrah and a terrific one it is w/ lots of Rhone character. Just released. I've always been very impressed w/ her Pinot Noirs & this is very much in her style w/ lots of toasty/pungent oak. This lady make GOOD wines across the board. 
  4. Jade Mountain: Both of these Rhone blends were very well made wines. I've been very much impressed w/ what Doug Danielac (sp??) has done here the last few yrs. Definitely a winery to keep one's eyes on in the Rhone game. 
TomHill 

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