2022 Syrah “La Mort Du Roi”, Hill of Graceland, Willow Creek District
Tasting Notes
Softer and richer than the Basement, cherry and plum, chocolate and vanilla, and—wait, has someone—that silly sommelier? a sneaking son? swiped my notes and substituted his own? Well, accurate enough, I suppose. This part of the Hill of Graceland has even lower yields (under a bottle per vine) than the north block, and in warmer vintages makes the “Dread Zeppelin” which has flirted with 35 proof. Stylistically this wine is closer to an uber-Rhone, aged in Carpathian oak. No joke.
Specs
Vintage: 2022
Varietal: Syrah, Clone 877
Appellation: Paso Robles
Vineyard: Hill of Graceland, Willow Creek District
Alcohol: 16.2%
Total Acidity: 7.1 g/L
2022 Syrah, “Basement”, Hill of Graceland, Willow Creek District
Tasting Notes
The 2022 harvest was not typical of Paso Robles. It was perhaps more typical of France: in wet years. I beat the storms, by picking the Syrah relatively earlier than I usually do—note that the alcohol is a ’mere’ 16%. With rich Moab cherry fruit, whiffs of clove and mint, and, ahem, not inconsiderable tannin from both grape and barrel, instead of the softer black plummy character of the 17% alcohol Syrah I’ve made from this part of the vineyard, I couldn’t call it Colossus. But it’s terrific, will improve for a decade, and endure for more.
Specs
Vintage: 2022
Varietal: Syrah
Appellation: Paso Robles
Vineyard: Hill of Graceland, Willow Creek District
Alcohol: 16.0%
Total Acidity: 6.7 g/L
2022 Petite Sirah, “Darwinian”, Grenouille Vyd, Calaveras County
Tasting Notes
The best Petite Sirah I’ve ever had a hand (no feet) in making. I’ll say no more—though you won’t when you try it—though I should perhaps say that I’ve made, ahem, “no more” than seven or eight. Given its confusing name and attributed abrasiveness, that this variety has survived is clearly due to its fitness for—oh, wait! Wrong Darwin!
The name and label image are from Darwin Wash, named for himself by Dr. Darwin French, when he passed this way in 1860 on a gold prospecting expedition with, among others, William Manly. (The wine? Yes, you’ll like it too.) The water that comes to our vineyard in Panamint, just planted this year, passes through this spot. I took the photo when engaged in repair work on the five-mile pipeline, which suffered much from the recent hurricane. “No pictures of Grenouille”, said the grimacing grower of Calaveras County. “Use a picture from somewhere far from here! And if I see one of them black drones the Illuminati use to spy on folks, I’ll blast it!”
In ancient times, long ago, hundreds of years before the dawn of history, the consulting winemaker, assistant cellar sock monkey, and rock band mis-manager Stillman Brown of Red Zeppelin infamy, and his footloose and still insufficiently silent mouthpiece and de factoid attorney GD Lewis of Jory Winery, became Zeppelin Winery, and even since then have wines that at least one of them believes are at least more than good enough to have pretty much anything on the label, excepting hallucinogenic drugs.
Over the last decade, most of the wines have been from grapes grown by one of our crazier clients, in two concocted sub-appellations of west Paso Robles that split the hidden Hill of Graceland vineyard. He drives the tractor and poormouths himself, I do everything else… Sales are almost exclusively to our email list, though we make irregular appearances on Casemates.com.
Available States
AZ, CA, CO, CT, DC, FL, GA, ID, IL, IN, IA, LA, ME, MD, MA, MI, MN, MO, MT, NE, NV, NJ, NM, NY, NC, OH, OK, OR, PA, RI, SC, SD, TX, VT, VA, WA, WV, WI, WY
2022 Zeppelin Petite Syrah – Darwinian
As always, it was a delight to get the Golden E-mail from Alice, followed up with the UPS notice of a shipment on its way. Life is good!
I received the shipment on Friday afternoon, for a Tuesday PM/Wednesday AM release, so plenty of time to arrange menus for an adequate pairing. In fact, dinner with son and new daughter-in-law (yay!) was planned for Monday, so two new Lab Rats add to this report.
Observations upon opening the box:
First, the bottle has to win the Glamour Award for best label – stunning! I recently spent four days in the Moab area, and the label immediately took me back there!
Second, I recall the following that Zeppelin Winery and Stillman Brown have garnered over the years, most recently in February of this year. So that added to the anticipation.
Third: Petite Syrah – one of my favorites!
Fourth: (and it’s a stretch to read the info on the bottle), it appears to be from a single vineyard – Grenquille in Calaveras County, just east of Lodi, nestling up to the Sierra’s, so a great growing area for hefty reds.
Last: 2022. Uh-oh! How to adequately judge a wine this young? And 15.8% ABV!! Well, somebody has to do it!
Monday came, and considering the age, I opened at 4:00 pm for a 7:00 dinner. Using a strainer/soft aerator, I poured the wine into a Reidel decanter. Wow – dark ruby, inky, almost black… and the aromas were noticeable from a foot away as I poured. A small “first look” sample….
With a more intentional nose investigation, it is heavy with plum, dark red cherry, whiffs of tobacco, leather, something else lurking underneath. More swirling, quite prominent legs. A sip…
On the palate, first samplings show the plum/cherry presenting the strongest flavor, some leathery/tobacco/mineral creep in. Flavors are a bit tight with strong tannins, quite dry, finish is a bit acidic, not quite sour, alcohol heat for sure, and confirming this needs some time to breathe. DW is not impressed at this point – “too sour.” “Give it some time.” DH says. Decanter goes back to rest.
With guests now assembled, wine was poured for all, and met with approval. The 3-hour aeration and decanting worked its magic, and DW was won over. It presents the fruit extremely well, with a full velvety mouth feel (at first), then the tannins take over, providing a long, dry finish. The earlier sourness is almost gone. The youth of the wine is hard to ignore.
Dinner – roast pork loin, creamy potatoes au gratin, Brussel sprouts (bacon, pancetta, and balsamic vinegar). The seasonings and brown crust on the pork kept this from being a mismatch, it held well with the cream in the potatoes, but the winning pairing were the Brussel sprouts! The pancetta and balsamic made the match. The wine was declared a winner by all!
Day 2
We saved two half-glasses for the desired second day tasting. It certainly held up well, perhaps a slight diminishing of fruit, increased dryness (to me; DW, not so much!).
Conclusion: a great wine to impress dinner guests – it’s a marvelous offering of my favorite varietal! But it really needs to lay down for a few years, and breathe at least a couple of hours before serving. It demands food – even second day sipping had us soon reaching for snacks and leftovers to accompany our beverage.
Some research yielded little. A one-page website shows this and two Syrah’s, and a nice promotion for Casemates! And the picture? Something related to Darwin, but not THE Darwin. Hopefully the Vintner will chime in on this mystery. (Edit: And he did!)
Thank you! I suppose I steered a middle ground between 1970’s style tannin - serve with wolverine - and Fruit Bomb Indiscriminate Crowd Pleaser at 8 tons/acre. A decadeish ago, I made a Paso PS that took 4 days to open fully, with a glass removed per day but immediately recorked. I guess decanters are good for something?
@Kraxberger Oh, and three decadesish ago, I had a house in Moab - my eldest son was born there - and gave anodyne advice to Arches Winery (or was it Vineyard?) brave pioneers that they were.
But dude, the rocks are WAY different!
@ZeppelinWinery Granted on the difference in rocks. The scene on the label was reminiscent of the Onion Creek trail, SE of Arches. Crossed the creek 30 times, both ways, winding through the canyons. Beautiful country, and not for the faint of heart to live in.
Some folks say that there are no coincidences, so I’m going to call it galactic karma on getting an email from Alice asking if I would be able to get a next day rat bottle for a post-Halloween offering.
(skip ahead to next paragraph, if you are skeptical on the ways of the universe) Queue the “Twilight Zone music with Rod Serling entering stage right: Zeppelin Winery proprieter and jack-of-all-trades Stillman Brown, known popularly as “Swilly” develops a Syrah with homage to Dee Dee Ramone, and calls it “Basement” with the full name quoting the lyrics “Hey Daddy-O, I don’t wanna go down the the basement…”. Alice, purely randomly selects a potential lab rat. Half-way across the country, a Case Mater gets the rat email, and has just attended a local composer’s Halloween, his costume for that day- Dee Dee Ramone (although some would say Joey). And his favorite room in the house? His labor of love, the basement stocked with wine and other oddities- eerily similar to the label on the bottle.
First, we have truly enjoyed our Zeppelin wines, so had high expectations- especially given all the build up at our household on the concidences involved. We’ve got a rare 3 day sampling for this one, although Day 3 was just a half glass.
Day 1 tasting: Chilled it a bit, and served at an initial 60°, and poured through an aerator after being uncorked for about 15 minutes. Aroma for me was blackberry/currant/spice, Mrs. Rat said black cherry and a bit of smokiness. Color is an opaque dark violet/ruby. Legs were clearly evident on swirling.
Taste- confirms the nose for me- blackberry and currant, plus nice olive notes. Mrs. Rat also got the fruit and olive, plus black pepper. Tannins were pretty soft, with no overpowering alcohol burn. The label print for ABV was a bit of an eye test, but looks like 16.0%. Naturally, we had to listen to the Ramones during this tasting and the namesake song. Found it also pairs nicely with an imported cheddar. This will doubtless improve with some age, but is drinking well right now.
Dinner was grilled honey/thyme/oregano/lemon salmon with some serious garlic potatoes. The Basement was a great pairing with the spices and garlic. Very smooth, and brightened the flavors of the food. Also very good with dark chocolate.
Day 2: went with an anti-pattern menu of chicken/broccoli/rice. Also was a bit surprisingly nice with the fresh vegetables with this dish. No loss in nose/taste- maybe a bit less tannin noted, and the cherry/blackberry came forward. Also good with artisanal bread and the remainder of Day 1’s cheddar.
Halloween decorations were the big time hog for us on Day 3, and despite the freezing temps had a load of trick or treaters in the neighborhood. However, it was nice to have the last remnants for a cleanup of the yard, and storing away the haunt items. Flavor has muted a bit, but the long day may be a factor- but it’s nicely smooth and great way to end the day down in the basement, with the Basement.
Based on the Zeppelin site, expecting to see some other rats as this looks like it will be a mixed red case. Don’t sit on this offer too long, or you may miss out. We’ve had the 2021 La Mort Du Roi, so have high hopes for the 2022 as well.
@benguin986 Well at least it wasn’t Johnny or he might’ve broken a bottle over your head for fun! Seriously that makes me very happy and I’m glad you didn’t hate the wine!
(Carbona Content 0.000%)
@ZeppelinWinery You’ve got some true crafting having a Syrah this young that is truly “ready now”, but gotta admit most of my Zeppelins are resting easy and get pulled out for special occasions.
Nice to see the Ramones call out for this one.
(did you see my Easter egg in the under stairs wine stash? Some familiar labels on the front row. Shh, though- don’t want everyone to notice)
Lab rat checking in!
I received the email and shipping notification from Alice last week and the bottle arrive unscathed. It came in a two-pack shipper but instead of a second rat bottle it was a Casemates glass. Not as tasty, but more useful for the long term!
We received a bottle of Le Mort du Roi with the excellent cover art. As always, with Swilly’s higher alcohol wines I’m filled with a mixture of curiosity and apprehension since I usually don’t get much enjoyment out of wines above (roughly) 15.5% alcohol. For some reason I usually start to perceive wines as bitter over that level. And yet, I love a nice cask strength whiskey. Go figure. (Sipping on a rye right now, in fact.)
This wine, though, was not that. In fact, this is the exception that proves the rule! On opening the abundant fruit was evident. I passed the glass around to the little ones to see what they thought. Older one (7-ish) couldn’t put words to it. Younger one (4-ish) declared it smelled like strawberry and blueberry. And I completely agree with that assessment! Out of the gate it was predominantly those two fruits, maybe a touch of plum or something more stone fruity. Hint of vanilla. Some smoke and herbs mixed in for good measure.
On the palate it was simultaneously quite tame and almost quaffable while also being intense and almost bombastic. Weird. But obviously enjoyable. Nothing obviously different from the aromas.
Finish was nice, moderate in length, and leaned more toward the herbal side of the wine. This is a feature, not a bug, imo. No major impression of tannin, so they must be well integrated by definition.
molarchae and I had a friend over last night while we were sampling, and both she and our friend enjoyed the wine as well. molarchae says it’s a crowd-pleaser.
Ended up having steak tacos and the match was good with everything except the hot sauce.
We saved some small glasses for the next night (tonight) and had it with pork chops. Winner winner! Not a terrific pairing with the asparagus, mind you. Not much changed over the day, either.
No idea how a wine with this much alcohol will age, but why bother? It’s delicious now and seems made for shorter term enjoyment - perhaps reinforced by the choice of DIAM 2 cork.
I’ve had a hit and miss relationship with Swilly’s wine before, but this one is a hit.
Thank you! Exceptio probat regulam, eh?
Claims made for oxygen permeability of different Diam cork lengths, meh. It might be cute to put both a 2 and a 10 over a massive P Verdot in a very long-necked Bordeaux bottle . . . but which one goes in first?
@ZeppelinWinery I’m sure you do! I don’t know what sales people say, but have seen plenty of winemakers chime in on it.
Personally, I don’t care about closure so long as it works!
@ttboy23 A song recognizable from a mile away, a decade ago. They were playing in Paso Robles at the fairgrounds and the late great Don “G-spot” Galleano and I were walking across the downtown park. He would’ve recognized it if it was Bobby Darin…
How much more are you saving by buying a full case?
(Note: tax and shipping are not included in savings calculations).
Zeppelin Winery Mixed Reds - $60 = 14.99%
@CorTot Thank you! I am extra stoked because I can now upload pictures directly instead of having them hosted in China or Cupertino or God knows where… As long as no more than 18% of them are related to wine I think I’m doing a good job
I was going to put up some pictures proving that “a guy I know” is the greatest impractical joker in the history of the national park service… But I can’t do that from my phone.
This is a tad off topic, but blame Mr. Stillman for mentioning the mid-state fair (that digression to follow). Whenever a fine Paso wine shows up here, my usual reaction is,”Huh? Who dat?” I rarely recognize the name of any vineyard or winery. I lived on the far west side in the mid 90s, running cattle where vines now grow. (Among our livestock was a zebra we named Zelda that had escaped from the Hearst ranch behind us.) Long-gone Pesenti still sold a fine every-day zin in jugs, serving samples in shot glasses at an ancient oak bar. (Gourmet Magazine dubbed it the “best wine value in the world”). Justin was just getting started (we’d ride our horses over there for a sampling),Tablas Creek was planting their first imported vines. Adelaida, Peachy Canyon, Wild Horse were the neighborhood vineyards with small on-site tasting rooms. Friends and neighbors began planting vines and experimenting, with results varying from the sublime to the ridiculous. When tour buses started showing up, the writing was on the wall. No longer cattle country. We sold the ranch, moved lock, stock, barrel and animals to start fresh in New Mexico. I’ve been back a few times, but Paso just ain’t the same,
Mid-state fair? Dixie Chicks were unknown and performed for free. Imagine in one evening — the Beach Boys rockin’ and rollin’ up close and personal, then later Paul Revere and the Raiders (yikes!). Those were the days, my friends….
Thanks to the original woot and now Casemates for delightful wines and equally delightful, colorful and educational conversation (dare I say badinage?)
@gunny729, Paul Revere and the Raiders? OMG, haven’t thought of them for fifty years, might have to go through my vinyls…(still got them, and purchased a retro turntable last year)
@ZeppelinWinery Ranch was off grid at 8200 ft,
west of Quemado, bordered north edge of the Gila NF. 360-degree views with not another house or road in sight. Pure heaven. Later, after selling the ranch, landed in Magdalena, then Silver City. (The mantra there was that folks in Deming rode horses, those in SC rode bikes). Too many people in NM, so now in Wyoming. Were you with Gruet? Friends “back east” were blown away that such wonderful wine came from NM.
@gunny729 I lived in Santa Fe for five years, and made mostly Sauvignon Blanc from TorC and Deming, at Gruet, for my ol’ Jory label, in July, which is when Laurent was getting Chard and PN from there for sparkling. He was a howl to work with… I missed surprising him by an hour and a half a year and a half ago on my way from Telluride to Adobe Walls, TX. I’ll try again in the spring.
Final note about the fair. Just dragged out photo albums — Johnny Cash, Asleep at the Wheel, Ronnie Milsap, the Association, Oak Ridge Boys, Lettermen, and I believe Linda Rondstat with Mariachi band. Phew!
Now that nobody’s looking…
Something about knowing a guy who knows a guy who is plausibly the greatest impractical joker in the history of DVNP if not the entire Park Service. Exhibit 1: the remote and difficult Manly Peak in the southern Panamints. A perusal of the summit register showed that more people climb Whitney in one day (permit limited to 100) than climb Manly in a decade - and only 3 people did it in any summer month in at least two decades. So . . . in July 2021- it was 127 at the Bennett-Arcane memorial in the early afternoon the next day - Swilly and Goldmember made the journey. Here’s Manly Peak’s summit boulder:
It’s named for William Manly, the hero who went for help when the Death Valley 49er families (women and children) were stranded there in 1849-50. Bad map! He came back, too. I’ve been over the most difficult part of his route, which was in the canyon below . . . which is not named for him. Too obvious a joke. But . . . I left something in the summit register as a memorial of sorts.
2022 Syrah “La Mort Du Roi”, Hill of Graceland, Willow Creek District
Tasting Notes
Specs
2022 Syrah, “Basement”, Hill of Graceland, Willow Creek District
Tasting Notes
Specs
2022 Petite Sirah, “Darwinian”, Grenouille Vyd, Calaveras County
Tasting Notes
Specs
What’s Included
3-bottles:
Case:
Price Comparison
Not for sale on winery website, $768/case MSRP
About The Winery
Available States
AZ, CA, CO, CT, DC, FL, GA, ID, IL, IN, IA, LA, ME, MD, MA, MI, MN, MO, MT, NE, NV, NJ, NM, NY, NC, OH, OK, OR, PA, RI, SC, SD, TX, VT, VA, WA, WV, WI, WY
Estimated Delivery
Monday, Nov 20 - Tuesday, Nov 21
Zeppelin Winery Mixed Reds
3 bottles for $99.99 $33.33/bottle + $2.67/bottle shipping
Case of 12 for $339.99 $28.33/bottle + $1/bottle shipping
2022 La Mort Du Roi
2022 Basement
2022 Darwinian
2022 Zeppelin Petite Syrah – Darwinian
As always, it was a delight to get the Golden E-mail from Alice, followed up with the UPS notice of a shipment on its way. Life is good!
I received the shipment on Friday afternoon, for a Tuesday PM/Wednesday AM release, so plenty of time to arrange menus for an adequate pairing. In fact, dinner with son and new daughter-in-law (yay!) was planned for Monday, so two new Lab Rats add to this report.
Observations upon opening the box:
First, the bottle has to win the Glamour Award for best label – stunning! I recently spent four days in the Moab area, and the label immediately took me back there!
Second, I recall the following that Zeppelin Winery and Stillman Brown have garnered over the years, most recently in February of this year. So that added to the anticipation.
Third: Petite Syrah – one of my favorites!
Fourth: (and it’s a stretch to read the info on the bottle), it appears to be from a single vineyard – Grenquille in Calaveras County, just east of Lodi, nestling up to the Sierra’s, so a great growing area for hefty reds.
Last: 2022. Uh-oh! How to adequately judge a wine this young? And 15.8% ABV!! Well, somebody has to do it!
Monday came, and considering the age, I opened at 4:00 pm for a 7:00 dinner. Using a strainer/soft aerator, I poured the wine into a Reidel decanter. Wow – dark ruby, inky, almost black… and the aromas were noticeable from a foot away as I poured. A small “first look” sample….
With a more intentional nose investigation, it is heavy with plum, dark red cherry, whiffs of tobacco, leather, something else lurking underneath. More swirling, quite prominent legs. A sip…
On the palate, first samplings show the plum/cherry presenting the strongest flavor, some leathery/tobacco/mineral creep in. Flavors are a bit tight with strong tannins, quite dry, finish is a bit acidic, not quite sour, alcohol heat for sure, and confirming this needs some time to breathe. DW is not impressed at this point – “too sour.” “Give it some time.” DH says. Decanter goes back to rest.
With guests now assembled, wine was poured for all, and met with approval. The 3-hour aeration and decanting worked its magic, and DW was won over. It presents the fruit extremely well, with a full velvety mouth feel (at first), then the tannins take over, providing a long, dry finish. The earlier sourness is almost gone. The youth of the wine is hard to ignore.
Dinner – roast pork loin, creamy potatoes au gratin, Brussel sprouts (bacon, pancetta, and balsamic vinegar). The seasonings and brown crust on the pork kept this from being a mismatch, it held well with the cream in the potatoes, but the winning pairing were the Brussel sprouts! The pancetta and balsamic made the match. The wine was declared a winner by all!
Day 2
We saved two half-glasses for the desired second day tasting. It certainly held up well, perhaps a slight diminishing of fruit, increased dryness (to me; DW, not so much!).
Conclusion: a great wine to impress dinner guests – it’s a marvelous offering of my favorite varietal! But it really needs to lay down for a few years, and breathe at least a couple of hours before serving. It demands food – even second day sipping had us soon reaching for snacks and leftovers to accompany our beverage.
Some research yielded little. A one-page website shows this and two Syrah’s, and a nice promotion for Casemates! And the picture? Something related to Darwin, but not THE Darwin. Hopefully the Vintner will chime in on this mystery. (Edit: And he did!)
Enjoy! Cheers!!
@Kraxberger
Thank you! I suppose I steered a middle ground between 1970’s style tannin - serve with wolverine - and Fruit Bomb Indiscriminate Crowd Pleaser at 8 tons/acre. A decadeish ago, I made a Paso PS that took 4 days to open fully, with a glass removed per day but immediately recorked. I guess decanters are good for something?
@Kraxberger Oh, and three decadesish ago, I had a house in Moab - my eldest son was born there - and gave anodyne advice to Arches Winery (or was it Vineyard?) brave pioneers that they were.
But dude, the rocks are WAY different!
@ZeppelinWinery Granted on the difference in rocks. The scene on the label was reminiscent of the Onion Creek trail, SE of Arches. Crossed the creek 30 times, both ways, winding through the canyons. Beautiful country, and not for the faint of heart to live in.
@ZeppelinWinery Yes. Yes, you did!
It was tough reviewing, trying to imagine how the wine would present itself in 5, 7, 10 years.
@ZeppelinWinery You need to recalibrate your pours… I only get 3 glasses per bottle
@PaleMongo @ZeppelinWinery LOL
@Kraxberger Yeah… I got a fouled plug AND unfixable flat tire on my dirtbike way the hell out south west of town… It was a long push!
@PaleMongo Drinking from the bottle it’s even tougher to calibrate!
2022 Zeppelin Basement Syrah
Some folks say that there are no coincidences, so I’m going to call it galactic karma on getting an email from Alice asking if I would be able to get a next day rat bottle for a post-Halloween offering.
(skip ahead to next paragraph, if you are skeptical on the ways of the universe) Queue the “Twilight Zone music with Rod Serling entering stage right: Zeppelin Winery proprieter and jack-of-all-trades Stillman Brown, known popularly as “Swilly” develops a Syrah with homage to Dee Dee Ramone, and calls it “Basement” with the full name quoting the lyrics “Hey Daddy-O, I don’t wanna go down the the basement…”. Alice, purely randomly selects a potential lab rat. Half-way across the country, a Case Mater gets the rat email, and has just attended a local composer’s Halloween, his costume for that day- Dee Dee Ramone (although some would say Joey). And his favorite room in the house? His labor of love, the basement stocked with wine and other oddities- eerily similar to the label on the bottle.
First, we have truly enjoyed our Zeppelin wines, so had high expectations- especially given all the build up at our household on the concidences involved. We’ve got a rare 3 day sampling for this one, although Day 3 was just a half glass.
Day 1 tasting: Chilled it a bit, and served at an initial 60°, and poured through an aerator after being uncorked for about 15 minutes. Aroma for me was blackberry/currant/spice, Mrs. Rat said black cherry and a bit of smokiness. Color is an opaque dark violet/ruby. Legs were clearly evident on swirling.
Taste- confirms the nose for me- blackberry and currant, plus nice olive notes. Mrs. Rat also got the fruit and olive, plus black pepper. Tannins were pretty soft, with no overpowering alcohol burn. The label print for ABV was a bit of an eye test, but looks like 16.0%. Naturally, we had to listen to the Ramones during this tasting and the namesake song. Found it also pairs nicely with an imported cheddar. This will doubtless improve with some age, but is drinking well right now.
Dinner was grilled honey/thyme/oregano/lemon salmon with some serious garlic potatoes. The Basement was a great pairing with the spices and garlic. Very smooth, and brightened the flavors of the food. Also very good with dark chocolate.
Day 2: went with an anti-pattern menu of chicken/broccoli/rice. Also was a bit surprisingly nice with the fresh vegetables with this dish. No loss in nose/taste- maybe a bit less tannin noted, and the cherry/blackberry came forward. Also good with artisanal bread and the remainder of Day 1’s cheddar.
Halloween decorations were the big time hog for us on Day 3, and despite the freezing temps had a load of trick or treaters in the neighborhood. However, it was nice to have the last remnants for a cleanup of the yard, and storing away the haunt items. Flavor has muted a bit, but the long day may be a factor- but it’s nicely smooth and great way to end the day down in the basement, with the Basement.
Based on the Zeppelin site, expecting to see some other rats as this looks like it will be a mixed red case. Don’t sit on this offer too long, or you may miss out. We’ve had the 2021 La Mort Du Roi, so have high hopes for the 2022 as well.
Thank you, Case Mates and Swilly!
@benguin986 Well at least it wasn’t Johnny or he might’ve broken a bottle over your head for fun! Seriously that makes me very happy and I’m glad you didn’t hate the wine!
(Carbona Content 0.000%)
@ZeppelinWinery You’ve got some true crafting having a Syrah this young that is truly “ready now”, but gotta admit most of my Zeppelins are resting easy and get pulled out for special occasions.
Nice to see the Ramones call out for this one.
(did you see my Easter egg in the under stairs wine stash? Some familiar labels on the front row. Shh, though- don’t want everyone to notice)
2022 Syrah “La Mort Du Roi”
Lab rat checking in!
I received the email and shipping notification from Alice last week and the bottle arrive unscathed. It came in a two-pack shipper but instead of a second rat bottle it was a Casemates glass. Not as tasty, but more useful for the long term!
We received a bottle of Le Mort du Roi with the excellent cover art. As always, with Swilly’s higher alcohol wines I’m filled with a mixture of curiosity and apprehension since I usually don’t get much enjoyment out of wines above (roughly) 15.5% alcohol. For some reason I usually start to perceive wines as bitter over that level. And yet, I love a nice cask strength whiskey. Go figure. (Sipping on a rye right now, in fact.)
This wine, though, was not that. In fact, this is the exception that proves the rule! On opening the abundant fruit was evident. I passed the glass around to the little ones to see what they thought. Older one (7-ish) couldn’t put words to it. Younger one (4-ish) declared it smelled like strawberry and blueberry. And I completely agree with that assessment! Out of the gate it was predominantly those two fruits, maybe a touch of plum or something more stone fruity. Hint of vanilla. Some smoke and herbs mixed in for good measure.
On the palate it was simultaneously quite tame and almost quaffable while also being intense and almost bombastic. Weird. But obviously enjoyable. Nothing obviously different from the aromas.
Finish was nice, moderate in length, and leaned more toward the herbal side of the wine. This is a feature, not a bug, imo. No major impression of tannin, so they must be well integrated by definition.
molarchae and I had a friend over last night while we were sampling, and both she and our friend enjoyed the wine as well. molarchae says it’s a crowd-pleaser.
Ended up having steak tacos and the match was good with everything except the hot sauce.
We saved some small glasses for the next night (tonight) and had it with pork chops. Winner winner! Not a terrific pairing with the asparagus, mind you. Not much changed over the day, either.
No idea how a wine with this much alcohol will age, but why bother? It’s delicious now and seems made for shorter term enjoyment - perhaps reinforced by the choice of DIAM 2 cork.
I’ve had a hit and miss relationship with Swilly’s wine before, but this one is a hit.
Thank you! Exceptio probat regulam, eh?
Claims made for oxygen permeability of different Diam cork lengths, meh. It might be cute to put both a 2 and a 10 over a massive P Verdot in a very long-necked Bordeaux bottle . . . but which one goes in first?
@ZeppelinWinery I only know what “the people” say about these sorts of things.
@klezman I know what the Diam sales people say! Bahahaha
@ZeppelinWinery I’m sure you do! I don’t know what sales people say, but have seen plenty of winemakers chime in on it.
Personally, I don’t care about closure so long as it works!
Wait, is it Friday already?!
The lyrics from ZZ Top’s “Sharp Dressed Man” come to mind
@ttboy23 A song recognizable from a mile away, a decade ago. They were playing in Paso Robles at the fairgrounds and the late great Don “G-spot” Galleano and I were walking across the downtown park. He would’ve recognized it if it was Bobby Darin…
So much wine in the house, but always an autobuy… Only Florida is lit on the map so far!
/giphy craptacular-torn-brick
How much more are you saving by buying a full case?
(Note: tax and shipping are not included in savings calculations).
Zeppelin Winery Mixed Reds - $60 = 14.99%
Always good to see Stillman here!
@CorTot Thank you! I am extra stoked because I can now upload pictures directly instead of having them hosted in China or Cupertino or God knows where… As long as no more than 18% of them are related to wine I think I’m doing a good job
I was going to put up some pictures proving that “a guy I know” is the greatest impractical joker in the history of the national park service… But I can’t do that from my phone.
@ZeppelinWinery Begin in landscape mode; portrait is a fail on a phone.
@rjquillin I will do it from my laptop
I should say system except… Well maybe I’ll get around to it
This is a tad off topic, but blame Mr. Stillman for mentioning the mid-state fair (that digression to follow). Whenever a fine Paso wine shows up here, my usual reaction is,”Huh? Who dat?” I rarely recognize the name of any vineyard or winery. I lived on the far west side in the mid 90s, running cattle where vines now grow. (Among our livestock was a zebra we named Zelda that had escaped from the Hearst ranch behind us.) Long-gone Pesenti still sold a fine every-day zin in jugs, serving samples in shot glasses at an ancient oak bar. (Gourmet Magazine dubbed it the “best wine value in the world”). Justin was just getting started (we’d ride our horses over there for a sampling),Tablas Creek was planting their first imported vines. Adelaida, Peachy Canyon, Wild Horse were the neighborhood vineyards with small on-site tasting rooms. Friends and neighbors began planting vines and experimenting, with results varying from the sublime to the ridiculous.
When tour buses started showing up, the writing was on the wall. No longer cattle country. We sold the ranch, moved lock, stock, barrel and animals to start fresh in New Mexico. I’ve been back a few times, but Paso just ain’t the same,
Mid-state fair? Dixie Chicks were unknown and performed for free. Imagine in one evening — the Beach Boys rockin’ and rollin’ up close and personal, then later Paul Revere and the Raiders (yikes!). Those were the days, my friends….
Thanks to the original woot and now Casemates for delightful wines and equally delightful, colorful and educational conversation (dare I say badinage?)
Apologies, sir - should be Mr. Stillman Brown.
@gunny729, Paul Revere and the Raiders? OMG, haven’t thought of them for fifty years, might have to go through my vinyls…(still got them, and purchased a retro turntable last year)
@gunny729 awesome. I grew up in the Central Valley and a trip to the mid state fair concert was a must! Great stuff!
POPSOCKETS! COURT DOCKETS! FOLK ROCK HITS! AWESOME!
@gunny729 Even my middle name is the last name! Where in New Mexico are you? I made wine in Albuquerque and Deming forgawdsake 94-01…
@ZeppelinWinery Ranch was off grid at 8200 ft,
west of Quemado, bordered north edge of the Gila NF. 360-degree views with not another house or road in sight. Pure heaven. Later, after selling the ranch, landed in Magdalena, then Silver City. (The mantra there was that folks in Deming rode horses, those in SC rode bikes). Too many people in NM, so now in Wyoming. Were you with Gruet? Friends “back east” were blown away that such wonderful wine came from NM.
@gunny729 I lived in Santa Fe for five years, and made mostly Sauvignon Blanc from TorC and Deming, at Gruet, for my ol’ Jory label, in July, which is when Laurent was getting Chard and PN from there for sparkling. He was a howl to work with… I missed surprising him by an hour and a half a year and a half ago on my way from Telluride to Adobe Walls, TX. I’ll try again in the spring.
Insta-buy.
/giphy harmonious-warm-mulberry
Final note about the fair. Just dragged out photo albums — Johnny Cash, Asleep at the Wheel, Ronnie Milsap, the Association, Oak Ridge Boys, Lettermen, and I believe Linda Rondstat with Mariachi band. Phew!
@gunny729 Asleep at the Wheel! wow.
Well that isn’t good. No Tennessee
Now that nobody’s looking…
Something about knowing a guy who knows a guy who is plausibly the greatest impractical joker in the history of DVNP if not the entire Park Service. Exhibit 1: the remote and difficult Manly Peak in the southern Panamints. A perusal of the summit register showed that more people climb Whitney in one day (permit limited to 100) than climb Manly in a decade - and only 3 people did it in any summer month in at least two decades. So . . . in July 2021- it was 127 at the Bennett-Arcane memorial in the early afternoon the next day - Swilly and Goldmember made the journey. Here’s Manly Peak’s summit boulder:
@ZeppelinWinery Well now I want to hike that peak!
It’s named for William Manly, the hero who went for help when the Death Valley 49er families (women and children) were stranded there in 1849-50. Bad map! He came back, too. I’ve been over the most difficult part of his route, which was in the canyon below . . . which is not named for him. Too obvious a joke. But . . . I left something in the summit register as a memorial of sorts.
Then I moved on to Charlie Manson, and then aliens . . . but there’s no time for those!
@ZeppelinWinery you know I would not let you down!
/giphy cocky-mostly-ketchup
