2002 Edmunds St. John "Rocks and Gravel"

Region: California, US (Berkeley, even!)

Composition: 65% Mourvèdre, 25% Counoise, 10% Syrah

Background: Oh, those wacky kids over in Berkeley, with their "bottled by intuition and blind luck" note on the label. Steve Edmunds and his wife Cornelia St. John are the wacky kids in question, and they started Edmunds St. John in 1985, with the idea of attempting to grow Rhône grapes and make terroir-driven wine in California-- not such a crazy idea now, but back in 1985, it was probably a bit of a wild venture. They have always been low key and self-funded, and have been making wine in a variety of warehouses over in Emeryville and Berkeley.

This is my first Edmunds St. John wine, and I have been interested in them for a while since I hear good things of their Syrah (I was recently foiled in an attempt to get some, recently). This particular wine has some Syrah in it, but the blend is usually dominated by Grenache. I guess in 2002 they couldn't find any Grenache, so this blend is Mourvèdre-based. The grapes are sourced from a variety of vineyards in California, from Paso Robles to Placerville, hence its designation as California Red Wine. Only 607 cases were made.

Notes: Blue-crimson in the glass with a light pink edge. A very brambly sweet-fruit nose with a strong ash and smoke element that I find a bit overwhelming. Berries, pencils, old leather, spice, and some gamey aromas are also floating around in there. In the mouth it initially full of black fruit, but that is quickly overcome with a wash of strong smoked leather. If I could remember ever eating jerky, I might think it was a little like that. The finish has some soft tingly tannins, and it lingers for a long time, leaving you with a subdued pleasant smoky flavor in your mouth. Overall it's a little too much on the smoky side for me, even though I do like it. When I tasted it a day later I thought the nose was a little much, still, but the flavors had smoothed out overall and in the mouth it was less smokily overwhelming. I think it really wanted some roasted meat to show off.

Maybe it's just this vintage (probably, since it sounds like this vintage was unusual), but I thought it was amusing that there was a lot of stuff in this wine, but not a lot of rocks or gravel. It could have been called "Smoke and Meat".

Cost: $20

Overall: B-