1996 Edmunds St. John

[mrdutton]

See my RANT in TALK TO YOUR MODERATORS.....


Edmunds St. John, Les Cotes Sauvages "Fin de Siecle" 1996. California Red Table Wine.

Produced and bottled by Edmunds St. John, 4059 Emery Street, Emeryville, CA 94608 (510) 654-1230

Back label says - In 1987 a wine grower from a venerable domaine in Southern France visited our cellar, and tasted a number of wines from the harvest just past. When he came to the one from my favorite vineyard his response was dramatic; he raised his nose from the glass, slowly rolling his eyes upward in reverie, he sighed, and whispered, "la terre parle". If I have done my job well, when you taste this wine you mabe be similarly affected; this is a voice one longs to hear. As a winemaker, for me there is no other voice. Steve Edmunds

Well when I popped the cork the bottle had been horizontal for a few weeks. The drek on the bottom of the cork kinda gave me the clue that this stuff was either from the bottom of the barrel or was unfiltered. So I recorked it, set it up-right for 36 hours and decanted it. I then rinsed out the bottle, repoured the wine, recorked the bottle and chilled it to about 60 to 65 degrees.

Popped the cork AGAIN, poured and yo.... yes the earth spoke! Nice fruit, nice acid and some good tannin to back it all up, and a bit of velvet in the mouth. Alcohol at 14.5% but the wine was not hot, to me.

For $7.99 a bottle, I am glad I found this stuff. Now I just gotta see if the shop has any more of it!

Anyone else ever had this stuff? Comments would be appreciated.

[This message has been edited by mrdutton (edited 12-02-2000).]

[Drew]

Haven't had it Mike but the 92' and 95 version received 88 and 87 rating points from WS. In 95' Edmunds only produced 250 cases. A blend of Grenache, Syrah, Mourvedre and Carignane. Looks like you got a find in good ol' Virginia. Don't want to here you complain anymore about how Va. gets all the dreks.

Drew

[winoweenie]

The 95 Edmunds Zin And Syrah " Durrel " are two stupendous wines. Concentrated, Inky, Black monsters that cloak the tongue, glass, and put permanent stains on any fabric it`s drooled on. Haven`t had this bottling, but know from everthin` I`ve hadof theirs , it gotta` be fine. winoweenie

[mrdutton]

Drew what do you think? Couldn't this one qualify for your sleeper category........??

Here's another one, from France. Col de Vents, Corbieres (Appellation Corbieres Controlee) Red Table Wine, 1999. Mis en bouteille a la propriete. S.C.V. Castelmaure, France. 13% Alcohol. $8.99 a bottle.

According to my Larousse this region grows mainly Carignan and also some Syrah and Mourvedre.

Corbieres is part of the Midi, specifically Coteaux du Languedoc and is a few kilometers west of Montpellier.

My nose picks-up the fruit, but I just can't place it (not berries for sure, plums(?) maybe); the wine plays music in my mouth with the fruit and the acid and the tannin and a nice, pleasing, velvety finish that lasts and lasts and lasts.......... Plus there's a pleasing earthiness to this wine along with just a bit of oak.

And yes, you got me..... I'll stop complaining. Maybe!

We don't really need to always have the top 10 from WS to get some really good wines here. I just wish that Virginia Beach was a bit more cosmo and a bit less blue-collar in its attitudes. Then maybe we could get some of the stuff that WW, Foodie and Roberto, amongst others, are talking about all the time.