1988 Santa Cruz Mtn Vineyards Estate

[winoweenie]

Another of the wines from Jerry Meads' estate. Opened this Sunday noon. Tremendous VA and other odors not meant for sensitive noses. Knowing Kens' wines sometimes are funky, I let it sit on the staging shelf in the cellar until today. Suddenly the nose shows tart cherry, spice, and forest floor with bricking on the edge. Can't believe this transformation but it's the 5th bottle I've done this with. A lovely bottle from a very difficult vintage. Have a 90 Bates Cab sitting I opened Mon. WW

[Kcwhippet]

Haven't had a SCM wine for a few years, but they were really something. I do recall them being favorites of Jerry's. Is that Bates one of SCM's wines also?

[winoweenie]

Yeppo there KC. When on this is one of the best cabs IMHO made in Calif. Have a box of the 94 & 97 in the cellar. Going to try this 90 today after 3 of air.Just finished my last of the 78 Bates a few months ago. Think I posted on it. Burnap is a wild man. Guess I'll have to stop the next trip up-country. EE

[Kcwhippet]

Getting a little liberal on us there,WW. That EE is a bit to the right of WW. I just love your keyboard manipulations.

I'm going to have to revisit the SCM lineup. I miss the Bates Ranch stuff. Also had some from Byington and Ahlgren the past few years. Seems you can't help but make good juice from that fruit.

[Kcwhippet]

BTW, WW, did you know that Ken Burnap is no longer at SCM. He retired (last summer I believe), bought a 53' sail boat and he's gone on a two year sail with his wife.

[winoweenie]

No I didn't know that! When he retired from my favorite Orange County Rest(Hobbitt) to start this winery I thot he was impedid, now i know it's trus. WW

[Kcwhippet]

Yup, Ken Emery is all alone now, though he's been there for years.

[winoweenie]

Put both of them dudes to bed onced when on the way to San Fran with a load of old BV Reserves I'd picked up in So. Cal. Sure glad I found a motel quickly.WW

[wondersofwine]

WW,
Dare I ask. What does impedid mean?

[winoweenie]

Mentally deficient.

[dananne]

WW (and others) --

I've read with interest your TNs on a few older Pinot Noirs from this winery in Cal. It had always been my assumption (I suppose erroneously) that Cal. Pinots were not great candidates for aging, but here were two that have stood up for a long time. Is it somewhat unique to this winery, or do you have the experience that Cal. PN ages better than many people believe? I can't really go on experience, as the oldest one I've tried was only 6 years (though I have a few in my cellar that are going on 7 years).

[winoweenie]

D the 2 Pinots I've had lots of experience drinking that will age are SCMV and Dehlinger. Joe Swaans' Pinot from the early 70s' thru mid-80s' also aged their buns off but haven't had any later experience since Joe died and Rod Berguland his son-in-law took over the winemaking duties.( Not that this is to infer in any way Rod's not a fine winemaker, which he is, just that I quit going to Sonoma as regularly as before). Don't know what has happened to the Hanzell property but back in the 60s' they made some very ageworthy pinots.WW