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David Dain
Grape Stomper
Posts:172
 | | 10/21/2004 2:38 AM |
| I am sipping this wine on the second night post cork pulling.
This Paso Robles beauty weighs in at 16.4% alcohol and I should like to recant my previous statements that I have never had a wine with alcohol this high that was in balance.
This wine is perfectly balanced and the alcohol (except for an approaching buzz) is not even remotely apparent.
The wine is dark purple with a nose of dark fruit and bloody meat. There is an enticing note of ripeness and marzipan. The palate is sweet and full of blackberry, blueberry and ripe black raspberry. The wine is full bodied but not heavy. You will not mistake this for a northern rhone but it is not an ooze monster by any stretch IMHO. Perfectly oaked. It is all about balance. I am going to guess the pH is relatively high but it works for this wine.
I must say it seems to be true that in California in many areas physiological ripeness is accompanied by high sugars. I don't think this is such a bad thing. GWC seems to produce high(er) alcohol wines with great balance.
This is a great example of same.
Dain
"I picked Ontiveros after Brian Loring" | | | |
| ChangeMe
Barrel Filler
Posts:1371
| | 10/21/2004 1:29 PM |
| Most of the better wines from Paso that we tasted during our summer trip seemed to have high alcohol levels.
This was my brief note from tasting this wine at Garretson with Mat in June:
2002 Craic Syrah a whopping 16.4% alcohol. Extremely spicy. To any semi-religious Jews out there (sorry to all others but it is the best dscription I can come up with), the wine tastes like Havdallah. The acidity balances teh high alcohol so it is not astringent. Certainly a big wine.
We also enjoyed it, and I think brought a bottle or 2 home with us. | | | |
| Leonard Maran
Grape Fermenter
Posts:415
| | 10/21/2004 7:36 PM |
| "The alcohol is not remotely apparent."
That may well be true on the palate, I've not tasted the wine. But I'm not a big guy and when I drink "table wine" at that level it is too readily apparent-physiologically! | | | |
| wino4ever
Grape Fermenter
Posts:578
| | 10/21/2004 11:22 PM |
| This was one of my fave's at the Santa Fe Wine & Chile Fiesta.
And I made sure to tell Matt as I kept returning for taste after taste.... | | | |
| mountainman
Mammoth Mountain
Wine Bottler
Posts:3163
| | 10/21/2004 11:32 PM |
| | I have one bottle, would you drink sooner or later? | | | |
| David Dain
Grape Stomper
Posts:172
| | 10/22/2004 1:53 AM |
| Hi Leonard,
Yup it got me buzzed too!
Mountainman,
I am sure you could hold this a while, but frankly, I like to drink up.
Either is good.
FWIW,
Dain | | | |
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