TN: Some Older Forlorn-Hope Whites....(short/boring)

WINE TALK
1

Tried these w/ Susan this weekend. It was not a great showing by Matt:

  1. Forlorn-Hope Amerikanischen Kobold Riesling KichOnRanch/LosAlamos (10.21%; 167 cs) Fairfield 2013: Med.gold color; lightly floral/R/mango quite chalky/mineral somewhat attractive interesting nose; very high acidity/screechy little R fruit bit chalky screaming acidity very lean/eviscerated flavor; med.long very screechy/acid little R/floral some chalky finish; pleasant enough nose but very painful to drink & no future that I can see; way too eviscerated on the palate to be even drinkable.
  1. Forlorn-Hope The Faufreluches GWT HillVnyd/RRV (13.54%; 57 cs) SuisunVlly 2012: Deep golden/burnished bronze color; very strong VM/resiny/phenolic/cidery/earthy slight GWT/lychee rather unattractive nose; very austere/quite bitter/tannic strong VM/phenolic no GWT fruit quite hurtey flavor; med.long very strong VM/phenolic/cidery/resiny quite bitter finish w/ ample tannins; very austere & very bitter & very painful on the palate; dreadful wine w/ no potential that I can see.
  1. Forlorn-Hope Saturn NapaVlly Dry WW (13.30%; 77 cs; 33% YountMill Semillon/33% Larkmead SauvVert/33% Peripilli SauvBlanc) Fairfield 2013: Dark gold color; strong waxy/Semillon/figgy bit caramel/Fr.oak/smokey light earthy fairly complex lovely nose; fairly tart strong waxy/Semillon/figgy light honeyed/caramel/oak some earthy some complex flavor; very long bit lean/tight fairly tart light honeyed/caramel some figgy/Semillon/waxy light earthy light caramel oak finish; bit on the lean/eviscerated side & reminds a bit of HunterVlly Semillon w/o the richness & w/o the oak, a bit like a MonteRosso Semillon; quite a nice Semillon but doesn’t seem to be evolving much.
  1. Forlorn-Hope Nacre Semillon YountMillVnyd/Yountville/NapaVlly (11%; 187 cs) Calistoga 2010: Deep golden color; strong nutty/bit oxidative slight musty bit herbal/figgy/Semillon light toasty/oak slight old book/old library/musty/fusty bit complex not particularly attractive nose; quite oxidized/nutty bit old Semillon/figgy/graham cracker rather bitter but not particularly tired rather unpleasant flavor; med.long quite oxdized/near maderized quite bitter bit toasty/caramel/oak slight figgy/Semillon finish; rather on the oxidized side & has not evolved very well; not much pleasure here.
  1. Forlorn-Hope Nacre Semillon YountMillVnyd/Yountville/NapaVlly (11.6%; 157 cs) Calistoga 2011: Med.dark gold color; fairly strong figgy/waxy/Semillon bit herbal/Kansas hay mow lightly oxidative some comlex old Semillon nose; rather tart/tangy/bit metallic some nutty/oxidative light figgy/waxy/Semillon rather savory bit herbal/Kansas hay mow lightly tangy/oxidative flavor; long some tart/tangy/metallic some waxy/figgy/Semillon herbal finish; not a particularly thrilling old Semillon but much better than the '10.
  1. Forlorn-Hope CheninBlanc StoryVnyd/AmadorCnty (13.17%; 25 cs) Fairfield 2012: Light gold color; attractive CB/pear/quince slight nutty/oxidative slight earthy bit complex quite interesting nose; fairly tart/tangy fairly strong CB/pear/quince slight earthy/nutty/oxidative rather light flavor; long some light/pear/quince/CB slight earthy/herbal bit oxidative/nutty bit tangy rather lightweight finish; still pretty fresh & lively w/ lots of quince/CB character but showing a bit oxidative in a good way; starting to develop some nuances but will never be a profound wine; fairly rich & not at all lean/eviscerated for a F-H.
  1. Forlorn-Hope QueSaudade Verdelho Calif (13.80%; 337 cs) Fairfield 2013: Light gold color; quite attractive floral/carnations/Verdelho/gardenias slight chalky/mineral quite perfumed nose; fairly tart/tangy/steely quite floral/gardenias/carnations/Verdelho rather rich/lush light chalky/stony/bit metallic very perfumed bit complex/nutty/hazelnuts/graham cracker/mucilage lovely flavor; very long/lingering very floral/carnations/gardenias slight chalky finish; still loads of Verdelho but starting to show some complexity & evolution; has a bit of the chalky/mineral you get in Portugese Verdelho; quite a lovely evolving white & probably near its peak; quite rich/lush for a F-H white.

A wee BloodyPulpit:

  1. Quite a mixed bag of whites from MattRorick. Sometimes his wines can be on the rather lean side. I have a hard time predicting how Matt’s whites will evolve. I had high hope for his Semillons, but they are not going in a good direction. The Verdelho, the Portugese grape from Madeira, was pretty much the best of the bunch.
    Tom
2

Wonder if you had a bad bottle? Last time I had one of these was maybe 2 years ago and the color was light white, flavor very fresh despite some oxidation (which was purposeful). I’ve followed these wines from the very start and quite happy with them.

3

Yeah, Markus…I sorta suspect that was the case. The cork was badly crumbly.
Tom

4

And here’s another, of similar vintage – I was just getting ready to write you about it, Tom: Forlorn Hope “La Gitana,” made from California Torrontes from the Silvaspoon Vineyard, 2011. Big, round flavors, quite yummy, maybe a bit short on acid. Should go on for quite some time, though I wouldn’t expect greatness with increased age.

My experience with older Forlorn Hopes is reflected on your notes above – hope for the best, prepare for the worst (bring up a bottle of something else, just in case). So I was pleasantly surprised by this 10-year-old.