Jemrose in New York City

Just another night meeting new folks and old friends on the Upper West Side. My impressions of many wines differed from the majority of the group but that's no surprise now is it?

• NV Mionetto MO Sergio 88 Points

  Italy, Delle Venezie

  Just a bit sweet but balanced with rich floral tones and notes of dried peach and pear on the palate. Finishes with a touch of orange oil, good persistence and fine mousse.

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Well to be honest I would never buy viognier to drink. For me the best use is a dollop in Cote Rotie but that won't stop me from pontificating.

• 2007 Jemrose Viognier Egret Pond 88 Points

  USA, California, Sonoma County, Bennett Valley

  Rather sweet smelling with the usual floral tones of viognier and clear notes of citrus fruits and apricot jam even a touch of chalk. Good balance with a soft mineral core swathed in billowy fruit. Elegant and balanced with apropriate acidity.

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• 2007 Melville Viognier Estate Verna's 86 Points

  USA, California, Central Coast, Sta. Rita Hills

  Comes off as a bit woody at first then notes of pressed flowers, honeysuckle, white pepper and subtle herbs reach the nose. A touch clumsy in the mouth with a bit of viscosity and a touch of heat that gives the finish a bit of a bit and a touch of bitterness. Fairly typical California Viognier.

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• 2004 E. Guigal Condrieu La Doriane 85 Points

  France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Condrieu

  Smoky and oaky on the nose with a touch of roast meat, really wood driven aromatics and slow to reveal tones of dried tropical fruits, mango, papaya, very caramelly. Bitter wood notes in the mouth with a very nut oil core of fruit, a touch hot, finishes with a strong Linden flower note, which is the highpoint of the experience.

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• 2002 Kongsgaard Roussanne/Viognier 86 Points

  USA, California, Napa Valley

  Very restarianed but balanced and elegant with aromatics that recall filterpads just a touch and lean more towards tea notes than overt fruit. At this stage a bit lean and a touch disjointed but still offering some subtle fruit on the finish.

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See comments above, well nott entirely. This was actually two flights with the Craggy range dominating the first flight and the Jemrose the second.

• 1999 Craggy Range Merlot Seven Poplars 89 Points

  New Zealand, North Island, Hawke's Bay

  Very red fruited on the nose with a cool character and nice notes of licorice, bird poop, and sweet oak adding accents. Very fine balance if a touch austere and structurally evolved but still the lacy structure and fine red fruits in the mouth are appealling and easy to drink with god length.

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• 1998 Château Gazin Pomerol 84 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Libournais, Pomerol

  Green pepper greats the nose followed by struggling notes of charcoal, fudge, black pepper, light red fruits and a touch of melon but the nose remains dominated by bell pepper. Lean and a bit ungenerous in the mouth with woody tannins poking through what fruit there is, finishes with a minty note that recalls toothpaste with its algeal tones. I can see this improving with time and this does seem to be an unflattering moment for this wine but I would not consider buying any for myself.

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• 2005 Château Monbousquet 86 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Libournais, Saint-Émilion Grand Cru

  Intense aromatics start off with big wood spice notes followed by bacon fat, lactic tones, fleshy and beefy. Big on entry with a huge, extracted, chunky feel, tones of charred oak drag the wine through the mouth and the wood tannins embedded in the matte, featureless mouthful of fruit leave splinters in ones tongue. Not for the faint of heart but a big ass wine for lovers of such.

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• 2005 Shafer Merlot 86 Points

  USA, California, Napa Valley

  A fine blend of maraschino cherry and chocolate on the nose is quickly joined by an earthy, sweaty, dirty tone on the nose then some red shale and both the alcohol and acidity are obvious on the nose, too bad. Sweet fruit attack, assertive, poorly integrated acid through the midpalate, short finish. This is what mass produced California wine is, not sure of the price or production number but this is good table wine with mass appeal but not for me.

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• 2006 Jemrose Merlot Two Sisters 90 Points

  USA, California, Sonoma County, Bennett Valley

  Milk chocolate and medium light toast notes open in the glass to be followed by ripe red fruits. The wood continues to be a bit obvious, floating over the fruit and keeping it in check. Very nice focus in the mouth with good balance keeping everything fresh and elegant. Solid structure supports the palates plummy fruit with grace notes of dried herbs, baking spices and a touch of vanilla which get drawn out on the moderately long finish.

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• 2005 Switchback Ridge Merlot Peterson Family Vineyard 88 Points

  USA, California, Napa Valley

  At first offers up a very precise and clean nose but turns just a touch hot as the intense, spicy red fruits begin to assert themselves. Soft in the mouth with very fine wild berry/currant fruit up front then a mid-palate which is just a bit woody and bitter but powerful and full of chewy, dense fruit. Finishes with good length but not much complexity to the bittersweet cocoa notes that dominate the end.

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I love syrah and one of the reasons I love Syrah is that great syrah comes from the world over. The Chapoutier was my wine of the night and the Carlisle was runnner up. Both great bottles of wine.

• 1997 M. Chapoutier Ermitage Le Méal 94 Points

  France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Hermitage

  Opens with a reticent core of meaty fruit and just a touch of wood then adding a bit of tobacco and hot rocks, becomes very fine and perfumed. Very pretty currant fruit in the mouth, seems particularly elegant coming after the previous wines and offers up a clarity and transparency those wines lacked. Zesty and clear as a bell with wild berry tones echoing through the mouth and into the long finish. Just coming into it's own this is delicious.

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• 1999 E. Guigal Côte-Rôtie Château d'Ampuis 89 Points

  France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Côte-Rôtie

  Very restrained nose but the intense floral character of the viognier comes through the otherwise tight smoky nose the grows in the glass revealing fairly intense notes of sassafrass and quinine by the end of the night.. Offers lots of blackberry fruit in the mouth with notes of wood spice and hard red candy offering some contrast but the wine remains a bit ungiving and tight. Solid potential for improvement here but give it another 3-5 years.

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• 2001 E. Guigal Côte-Rôtie Château d'Ampuis 87 Points

  France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Côte-Rôtie

  Sweet fruit and vanilla domoinate the nose, simple in the mouth with good intensity though turns tough and disjointed finishing very short. Obviously too young but the wine does rally at times revealling good balance and depth but still a bit monolithic. Should improve.

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• 2005 Carlisle Syrah Cardiac Hill 92 Points

  USA, California, Sonoma County, Bennett Valley

  Deep and dark smelling, still smells a bit like a barrel sample, a touch animale, a bit of well integrated wood an edge of vanilla and foxy grapiness. Big but seamless on entry still tight but revealing lovely flavors of dark berry fruit, mineral tones, layered and big but the balance and integration is excellent. Lush and deep and this improved through dinner.

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Or so I hear. I set up a friend to be Mike Officers harvest assistant last year and he vividly recall taking sugar readings on Cardiac hill. Says it was one of the worst uses for a hangover he has ever had! Looks like the vines have to struggle as much as he did and that creates some fine, complex fruit. Very interesting to see 4 different treatment of what is essentially the same fruit.

• 2006 Carlisle Syrah Cardiac Hill 91 Points

  USA, California, Sonoma County, Bennett Valley

  Meaty, deep, and masculine smelling with a touch of buried wood and herb. Trademark seamlessness in the mouth with excellent balance and good impact to the notes of grilled meats and dark spicy, plummy fruit on the palate. Still a bit wound up and needs time to relax but excellent raw materials.

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• 2006 Jemrose Syrah Cardiac Hill Bennett Valley 88 Points

  USA, California, Sonoma County, Bennett Valley

  A bit of black pepper and dried red apple start off the nose which is joined by gentle baking spices and a touch of leafy green herb. Good freshness in the mouth then very aggressive structure supports coffee bean tinged flavors of dark fruits. Turns a bit more elegant and linear with air and retains good tension in the mouth.

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• 2006 Shane Syrah Jemrose Vineyard 90 Points

  USA, California, Sonoma County, Bennett Valley

  Very reticent nose starts out with a bit of obvious acidity, then subtle and gentle tones of red raspberry, soil, fresh herb stem, good freshness. Obviously less extracted in the mouth, the lithe, transparent character reveals the sligght stemmy tones from stem inclusion and their slightly astringent tannins which remain in balance and accentuate the mineral and earth tones of the wine. The fruit grows slowly and adds a roundness to the mouth and offers up sweet tones of raspberry fruit. A solid, subtle surprise.

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• 2006 Baldassari Syrah Jemrose Vineyard 87 Points

  USA, California, Sonoma County, Bennett Valley

  Lots of cappuccino, vanilla and sweet wood spices greet the nose. Extracted and deep with good depth to the plum and wild berry fruits that buffer the assertive structure. Spicy and full of creamy oak which obscured some of the varietal character for me. Finishes a touch short, big, obvious but a bit anonymous.

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A fine way to conclude the evening with the rather unusual Merlot/Syrah blend. I would have loved to try these wines with the entree rather than the cheese course.

• 2004 Jemrose Gloria's Gem 89 Points

  USA, California, Sonoma County, Bennett Valley

  Sweaty saddle leather and green herbs greet over slightly jammy dark berry and plummy fruits greet the nose then a bit of milk chocolate and cactus leaves add complexity. Round and spicy tasting much like it smells with good deep, plummy fruit and fine herbal tones, good length and depth.

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• 2006 Jemrose Gloria's Gem 87 Points

  USA, California, Sonoma County, Bennett Valley

  Dark and taught on the nose with a touch of toastiness. Cool and clear on entry, a bit of heat, softish, a bit extracted and lacks some of the focus of the 2004.

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• 2005 Saxum Broken Stones 86 Points

  USA, California, Central Coast, Paso Robles

  Woody, jammy and intense with a touch of obvious alcohol on the nose. Big and round with a soft entry, fairly intense acids here are not entirely integrated, lots of extract, lots of extracted tannins on th finish which continues to show some heat. Big and powerful with intense flavors of rosemary tinged, slightly baked plum and blackberry fruits but the structural disarray keeps this from fully appealing. Perhaps some time will help. I am not convinced.

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I do not have a sweet tooth, especially when acid levels resemble that of a Tums but this was pretty good Sauternes, not that I'm in the market or anything.

• 2003 Château Rieussec 90 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Sauternais, Sauternes

  Lively on the nose with a big, creamy marshmallow and dried tropical fruit tone supported by background notes of sweetly spiced wood and roasted nuts. Big and creamy in the mouth with a touch of caramel dominating the dried pear fruits and background botrytis tones. A bit hollow on the midpalate but the caramel cream tones gain in intensity.

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It was alot of fun comparing the various wines in each flight. Being able to taste the Cardiac hill Syrahs in a flight was especially interesting and certainly reinforces my opinion that cool climate Syrah from California are some of the finest and most interesting wines coming out of the West Coast these days. Now that's gonna get me in trouble with an entirely different group of friends but hey I only have to buy wines that I want to drink anyway, even if I'm gonna be drinking them alone! Great night, thanks to all and especially Dan for making the arrangements and Jim and Gloria for being our inspiration.