SineQuaNon Twisted&Bent AlbanVnyd/SLOCnty (14%) elaine & manfred Krankl/Ventura 1997: Med.dark gold/burnished bronze color; strong charred/smokey/toasty/burnt/Fr.oak some oxidized/nutted/toasted hazelnuts/toasted coconut/ZagNut Bar old Rouss very complex fairly fresh/little fruit beautiful nose; quite tart/tangy intense smokey/toasty/charred/burnt/Fr.oak intense toasted hazelnuts/nutty/oxidized/old Rouss quite complex beautiful flavor; very long/lingering oily/textured/viscous very intense oxidized/nutty/toasted hazelnuts/oldRouss intense toasty/charred/burnt/Fr.oak/tobaccoy very complex fairly tart some oxidized complex finish; somewhat oxidized (in a good way) Rouss; surprisingly youthful; would be interesting to try alongside an Alban Rouss '97; pretty amazing wine that words fail you. $60.00/$800.00
A wee BloodyPulpit:
Not sure exactly what the composition is on this wine. Some sources indicate it to be Roussanne. Other sources label it as 60% Roussanne/40% Chard. I didn’t think that JohnAlban’s Chard was producing yet in '97. It tasted more of old Rouss to me than anything.
This was a pretty amazing wine. It was dominated by the charred oak and the oxidative/old Rouss character. But there was a lot of other things going on in it that words fail to describe. But certainly no recognizable fruit remaining.
Tom
The 1997 Twisted and Bent (540 cases) is no wimpy wine. All of the fruit comes from the Alban Vineyard in San Luis Obispo. The 1997’s blend is 60% Roussanne and 40% Chardonnay. This is white wine at its most concentrated. Light gold with a greenish hue, it has the unctuosity and nearly the power of chartreuse liqueur, but it is dry, full-bodied, and easy to drink in large quantities (I know). Its honeyed viscosity, and extraordinary bouquet of rose petals, buttery tropical fruits, and orange marmalade are exotic, thrilling, and altogether a treat to satiate both the intellectual and hedonistic senses. The fact that it is dry is an achievement given the degree of sugar at which these grapes must have been picked. Drink this wine (14.7% alcohol) with close friends and delicious food. This wine seems to have the ability to last beyond 2-3 years, but the fact is I never have any left after 24 months.
I looked around and could find only references to the 60% Roussanne/40% Chardonnay blend; maybe the Chardonnay came from a nearby vineyard, rather than John’s. I read Parker’s original note, where he rated the wine 90-93 points, and his followup, where he gave it 95 points and alleged a drinking window of 200-2003. Except he said he could never keep any bottles around longer than 24 months because he just drank it up! Funny note from Bob.
Yup, Larry…knew you’d be interested in trying it last night. Quite a good tasting.
I’ve one more btl left that might show up sometime in a tasting. Or I may hold it till it’s old & decrepit.
Tom