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Notes from the Vineyard



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Handmade wines since 1983.

 

Notes from the Vineyard

FALL 2001

With this letter we attempt to confuse you further, dear reader, with another one time only release of a special bottling, in this case from Roll Ranch.

California is a huge state, and, as I have mentioned before, the weather can be horrid at one end of the state and yet very pleasant at the other. Such was the case in the fall of 1998. The Santa Barbara County area did have a little rain at the beginning of the harvest, but it did not amount to much, and we had a particularly successful vintage. Further south, here in Ojai, the Roll Ranch grapes were very special. Spring frost had left us with a small crop that ripened late because the moderate and breezy summer had slowed the ripening process.

When we picked the grapes from this small vineyard, we kept separate a particularly stressed hilly spot because the berries were tiny and were ripening ahead of the rest. When the wine from this spot was made, it proved to be so extraordinary that we could not bear the idea of blending it in with the other lots of Roll, and thus we offer it now. It is named Lot "E.H." for the name of the clone of syrah planted in this spot, estrella, and for the little sloping hill that the grapes were picked from. This wine is, of course, huge. While different in personality, it compares favorably in many ways to our last special bottling of syrah, the memorable Henry Daniel.

I had an opportunity recently to taste all of our Roll Ranch syrahs we have made and compare them with the E.H. I would like to share my thoughts on how they are aging, and so here are my impressions. We tasted them backwards, that is, oldest to youngest...

1995 I have always loved this wine for its fruitiness and down right deliciousness. I had it about two years ago in a similar lineup and the wine struck me as good--although certainly the weakest of the Rolls. But on this day it was very different; having lost its baby fat, it was strutting its stuff. There was lots of fruit still, but a wonderful earthiness now played strongly in the aroma. It is as if the wine has matured to a new level and is finally ready to drink. For me, this is a very exciting development.

1996 Early on I worried whether I had bottled this monster fruit and tannin bomb with too little sulfur dioxide (especially since I had a lab measure it, and the test results came back with none detectable). But relying on the grape tannins to act as an antioxidant turned out to be the best choice. This wine is fresh and the tannins have mellowed to the point where it is a joy to drink. This is the biggest Roll, with time on its side. Don't hurry to drink it.

1997 This one seemed even more tannic in the barrel than the 1996. We racked it a little more than we usually do to introduce oxygen to help soften the wine. Shortly before bottling, I suffered horrible doubts about how I had crafted the wine; I was sure it was ruined. But, after a few months in the bottle, I realized I was wrong, and that the wine and I had gone through a little pre-bottling shock. Now I really like it. In some ways it is the most complete Roll at this point, not showing too much fruit and possessing nice, fine, mouth coating tannins. It will not have the longevity of the 1996, but it is great now, and won't fade any time soon.

1998 Open knit and delicious, this one has all the charms the 1995 had in its youth without as much tannic bite--but it is quite a bit bigger and richer. Fruity as all hell, if I didn't have the 1995 for reference, I would suggest drinking it now. This wine is certainly ready for drinking, but I think more will come of it with time.

1999 Rivaling the 1996 in concentration, this one is a lot less tannic. It's easy to drink today, if you do not mind the slightly oxidized character of recently bottled wine and the texture of 40 wt. motor oil. A big one-its on a great course! P.S. Don't even think about opening a bottle until next year!

1998 E.H. How nice it is to hold a wine an additional year before sale. A year ago this one would have been more difficult to comprehend than the 1999 Roll. The nose is still brooding a bit, but packed tightly with the typical Roll apricot and plum fruits. The mouth is unbelievably concentrated and the wine has amazing length-- seamless in texture from the first burst of fruit in the mouth to the very copious but fine textured tannins in the finish. If the 1996, 1999 and E.H. are the biggest of the bunch, the E.H. is the most elegant of the big boys. You really can drink this one today, and I recommend you try one now, but certainly hold on to a few bottles as this wine has the structure for years and years of positive development.

2000 (from the barrel) This is a lot like the 1999, but in a more open knit style, with little of the brooding quality that the 1999 has. I would liken it to the 1998 in its accessibility, but it is much bigger and has more of a black fruits aroma rather than the red fruits of the 1998. Definitely another big delicious wine from Roll Ranch!

Adam Tolmach