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An Evening With Abe Schoener

Union Square Wines (NYC)

Tasted December 6, 2011 by jrobs7777 with 639 views

Introduction

This was a terrific guided tasting at Union Square Wines in New York. Abe Schoener of Scholium Project led us through 6 flights of wines. Abe paired all of the wines together for a variety of reasons, whether it was the wine making or another story that connected to the two wines. Overall, my preference is for Scholium's red wines, and sure enough, they showed very well. However, the Sylphs really was an exciting white and I look forward to drinking them in the future.

Flight 1 - Fresher Whites (2 notes)

Both of these whites are made using the same wine making techniques. A lot of lees exposure.

White
2008 Scholium Project Marcher Sûr La Lune Bokisch Ranches USA, California, Central Valley, Lodi
Floral nose. Nice acidity. A lot of melon. Good complexity. Enjoyable.
White
2007 Scholium Project Eurydice Rocky Hill USA, California, Sonoma County, Sonoma Mountain
A lot of pineapple initially. Nice acidity. Tart fruit. I thought there was more heat on this than Marcher sur la Lune.

Flight 2 - 2006 Whites (2 notes)

Both of these wines are from 2006 although they are quite different.

White
2006 Scholium Project San Floriano Normale Rocky Hills Vineyard USA, California, Sonoma County, Sonoma Mountain
A touch oxidized. Honey, nut, caramel. Sherry and Madeira like notes (in a very good way). The nose is quite nice but this lost some momentum on the palate.
White
2006 Scholium Project The Prince In His Caves Farina USA, California, Sonoma County, Sonoma Mountain
The first Prince vintage. Touch oxidized. Orchard fruits, sugary notes on the nose. Surprisingly dry considering the sweetness on the nose. Good acidity to carry this.

Flight 3 - Two More Whites (2 notes)

The Sylphs is the class of the Scholium whites. This was a side by side comparison in class.

White
2008 Scholium Project Chardonnay Choêphoroi Los Olivos Vineyard USA, California, Central Coast, Santa Ynez Valley
Second taste of this wine. Floral with melon on the nose. Fresh and young with some moderate complexity. Orchard fruits on the palate. Overall a bit simple on the palate after the complexity on the nose.
White
2009 Scholium Project The Sylphs Guman Vineyard USA, California, Napa Valley, Coombsville
I'm thrilled that we own 2 bottles of this. Probably the best Scholium white I've had. Touch of oxidized character on the nose. Nutty, with some deeper complexity on the nose and palate. Nutty, with orchard fruits. "Leesy." Nice long finish. High quality.

Flight 4 - 2004 Reds (2 notes)

Great comparison here. The Donati Vineyard wine is a classy wine, but there was only 1 Scholium vintage made.

Red
2004 Scholium Project Babylon Tenbrink Vineyards USA, California
Tannic and tough. Blood, mineral, paprika on the nose. Very tough nut to crack on the palate. Meaty with a slightly stewed fruit quality.
Red
2004 Scholium Project Scythia Donati Vineyards USA, California, Central Coast, San Benito County
It is a shame that there is only a single vintage of this wine. Light spice on the palate. Smoke, paprika and meat spice. After the relatively bigger nose, this is very light and delicate on the palate. Nice complexity. Touch of citrus fruit zest leading to long finish.

Flight 5 - Tenbrink Comparison (2 notes)

The difference between the Bricco and the Babylon is that the Bricco is made more in the Italian Amarone style. It spends an extra year in oak.

Red
2005 Scholium Project Babylon Tenbrink Vineyards USA, California
Once again this wine showed very well. Dry spice, meaty, blood and darker fruit. There was a nip of a vegetal/herbal note on the palate but this was silky smooth and really showed its pedigree. High quality.
Red
2006 Scholium Project Bricco Babelico Tenbrink Vineyards USA, California
The difference between the Bricco and the regular Babylon is that this wine is aged a 3rd year. This shows more oak and darker notes. Tar, meat, blood but also a lighter mineral note. Everything is in its right place. It lacks the oomph and pedigree of the Babylon, but this is solid.

Flight 6 - 2007 Reds (2 notes)

This confirmed for me that the Androkteinos is the consistent class of the Scholium reds, in my view. However, Abe related that the 2008 Babylon may be the best and it is true that the Babylons have shown regular improvement as the Scholium wine making team continues to learn which wines produce the best fruit (which goes in the Babylon) while the rest goes into the Gardens of Babylon NV.

Red
2007 Scholium Project Androkteinos Hudson Vineyard USA, California, Napa Valley
The Androkteinos is consistently one of my favorite Scholium reds and this again did not disappoint. Mocha, dark fruit, blood, meaty spices. Nice and smooth. Good finish.
Red
2007 Scholium Project Babylon Tenbrink Vineyards USA, California
Last of the 3 Babylons. Redder fruit than Androkteinos. Lush. Meaty but also nice mineral note. Smoother. Best of the Babylons.
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