J @ y H @ c k
Member #7,422 signed up 8/13/2005
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2015 Elusa Cabernet Sauvignon
4/24/2024 - J @ y H @ c k wrote: 95 Points
I first signed up on the Elusa list when a few of my favorites where Thomas Rivers Brown made wine sold out to "The Man," as we used to say. Schrader and Outpost immediately come to mind. TRB makes the wine at Elusa and the vineyard in the Calistoga area seems to be excellent terroir, so it looked like a good trade off when I dropped the others. I had never tasted it and I decided to be patient so I stuck it in the cellar and let it age. Yesterday, I decided to check it out and brought the 2015 to a family Seder to drink with the inevitable brisket. I decanted it at 6 pm and first tasted it at about 7 pm from clunky glasses. I then followed it for another 90-120 minutes.
This wine is in a very nice spot, with sweet tannins and a smooth velvety mouth feel. Approachable with wonderful a red fruit melange. It is developing a fruit-forward flavor profile with miles to go. Oak? No obvious oaky component, perhaps because it is resolved (seems unlikely at this age) or perhaps just neutral oak. Depending on your definition of tertiary flavors [From the Wine Enthusiast website, "The last of the three levels of aromas and flavors is tertiary. These complex components occur when wine is aged in an ideal environment. In red wines, fresh ripe fruit starts to transform into stewed or dried fruit, like raisin or fig. Tertiary aromas of tobacco, earth and mushroom will come about, too."], there are none of those yet, and thank god for that, at least as to stewed fruit and raisins or horse corral dirt, which IMNSHO get in the way of purity. It's fruit to the fore, with some spice.
In April 2007, I posted a thread on the E-bob bulletin board asking how long to decant a 2004 Rivers Marie cab and barely an hour later, TRB, sent me a private message that said, "GO with the decant and pour back for six hours. This wine can't receive too much air. Thomas". That wine was fierce and very good, but no where near as luscious as this one. Maybe it was the extra time in bottle, maybe it was an evolution of TRB's winemaking style, maybe it is a change in my own palate, or maybe just the vintage character (2015 Napa cabs are outstanding), but this Elusa is dramatically different. I recommend that people try it and if your impression is like mine, jump on the list.
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2016 Hammell Wine Alliance El Crue Rosé
3/9/2024 - J @ y H @ c k Likes this wine: 92 Points
This is an outstanding Rose. It's a six grape blend - fairly characterized as a Rose of Chateauneuf. I am not a fan of Rose because it is generally designed to appeal to the AFWE types, but this one has excellent flavors with an almost peach-like aroma and a red fruit, but not sweet strawberry, flavor profile, and some citrus added but without sugar or sweetness. I bought this at auction - it still had a CT bar code label from a prior owner - and I wish there were more. I am not sure whether they just changed the packaging and now it's just "True Believer Rose," but I have my doubts because that's a lot cheaper. I buy a lot of Tercero Mourvedre Rose, which is one of the few Roses that I like, and this is comparable, if not a bit more complex.
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2003 Rhys Alesia Syrah Sonoma Coast
3/8/2024 - J @ y H @ c k Likes this wine: 91 Points
Bought almost 20 years ago. This was Kevin Harvey's first ever Syrah from Rhys or Alessia. Decant for an hour and then followed for a few more.
Still on the upswing. No sign of 20 years of age. My wife suggested it showed about 10 years old and I agree. Dark red and black fruit, spicy acidity, a tiny bit of pepper. Years ago, I sent him an email asking for a tech sheet and he laughed (in an email) and said he had no such thing because he just made the wine in his garage. Anyone who says that Cali Syrah is too ripe and will fall apart is 100% full of you know what. No sign at all. My guess is that this wine will not peak for 5 more years because it continued to improve for at least an hour in the glass after the decant. If Irate this based upon what I expected versus what I actually got, this gets a few more points. patience is a virtue. Bravo.
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