WINES FROM THE LOST VINEYARDS
~or~
A WALK THROUGH PARK MUSCATINE

Wendy and Robert Biale

Aldo and Clementina Biale

Lou Kessler and George Palmer

1980 Ridge York Creek Petite Sirah (78 % Dynamite Hill Vineyard, 22 % Lake Vineyard, 12.2 % alc.): An inky garnet showing no rust, this gives out deep dark plum with some Draper perfume and a little aquarium on the nose. A bit one dimensional to my taste, but a solid Petite Sirah that still has some tannins to shed.

1988 Ridge York Creek Petite Sirah Devil's Hill (13.7 % alc.): A wall of tannins clamp down on the black fruit of this dark garnet, with a hint of barnyard on the nose. Hard to get much from this right now, and even more one dimensional than the previous selection.

1988 Dehlinger Alexander Valley Petite Sirah Scherrer Vineyard: I failed to note the alcohol content of this dark garnet, but I couldn't help but notice the significant tannins over the plum/blackberry fruit; there is also some barnyard on the nose. Maybe a little more complex than the Ridges, but needs a lot of time yet.

So maybe they just don't make Petite Sirah like Tom Burgess did back in the '70s. Oh well...

1989 Ridge Rancho Pequeno Barbara ATP (12.9 % alc.): From a vineyard that was only 3/4 of an acre in size, located a few blocks from downtown Sonoma. It's a ruby dark garnet with spicy dried cherry characteristics accentuated by subtle leather/cedar nuances. This shows excellent fruit; it still has good acidity, while tannins are mostly resolved. Bob Biale really liked this wine, but I wish we could have gotten a bottle of the '88 version that wowed me so at the winery last summer.  It was even better.

1990 Ridge Rancho Pequeno Barbara ATP (12.8 % alc.): Slightly corked, but no one else seemed to notice; similar flavor profile to the '89, but I had to dump it.

1988 Sean Thackrey Orion Syrah (12.7 % alc.): I made a point of pouring mice-elf a glass of this before it too disappeared, and it was a good thing I did! Dark garnet, with leather/plum/ iodine flavors and aromas; the tannins are mostly resolved and the fruit is still primary. My kind of Syrah!

1986 Chateau Climens Sauternes- Barsac (12 % alc.): One of the most amazing dessert wines I've ever tasted, this rich gold exuded huge apricot/oak/vanilla/ spice flavors and aromas, with an unctuous texture and an endless finish. It blew away a very nice 1993 Tirecul La Graviere Cuvee Madame Monbazillac. As I oohed and aahed over it, Bree asked, "So you like that big oak-bomb, hey?" Like would be something of an understatement...

At this point, I put down my pen and just sipped and sampled from the plethora of other selections that folks had brought and enjoyed the company. There was a ton of wine left over after the last straggler had departed, and we would do what little we could to put a dent in it the next night. As is always the case with gatherings like this, everyone had a simply marvelous time. For this taster, it gets more and more special to attend these affairs that Mr. Bree throws, not only for the wine and food, which are always stellar, but perhaps even more for the people, many of whom Kim and I have become good friends. A few nights later, as George Palmer and I were enjoying dinner with Rob and Ilene Adler in their apartment (with a fabulous view of the western half of San Francisco), we were discussing what a wonderful thing the Internet wine community has become. Rob summed it up when he said, "The strength of the community isn't online, but offline."

I can't think of any better proof of that statement than one of Allan Bree's offlines. They are always very special.