We just had a visit this morning from wine maker Stephen Storrs of the STORRS winery in the Santa Cruz Mountains, CA. We have represented Stephen's wines in the past, especially his Lion Oaks Zinfandel and Central Coast Merlot. When I asked him how many grape varieties he works with he said : " about sixteen ". That caught me completely off-guard as I was expecting him to say eight or less! It was great to finally meet him and taste through his excellent series of stylish, balanced yet flavorful reds.
Mary Leigh of Kysela Imports brought Stephen this morning. It was a pretty nice way for me to start my wine morning. We tasted two Merlots ( both selling for between $18-$20 a bottle ). They were both quite flavorful, the 2002 Central Coast was really peppery, spicy, earthy - where the fruit becomes well-integrated with the wood. The 2002 " San Isidro " was softer, rounder, a bit richer and more harmonious. I liked the Central Coast for a meal ( something nice, steaming off the grill ) and the San Isidro if I were going to really just veg outside and lay back with no agenda but to absorb/be absorbed vise-verse by my setting. I will carry one here in the store but have not yet decided which.
We also tried two Zinfandels : the " Rusty Ridge " 2005 and the " Lion Oaks " 2004. I liked both and will buy one of the two. The Rusty Ridge is less expensive : it has a touch less ripeness/richness/intensity and overall less obvious fruit. It's perhaps the better food wine. The Lion Oaks is the essence of beautiful pure balanced and satisfying bright fruit. It's so smooth, so satisfying , medium-bodied and a lovely expression of Zinfandel with charm and not simply alcohol and weight. This can be enjoyed most anytime. The Rusty Ridge , also medium-bodied has a bit more spice , earth and oak accents. I'd love to have some Italian sweet sausages just about now, piping hot with a glass outside on a fun, lively street corner, sitting there with my wife enjoying this restaurant's foods and watching life's many forms of live animation please, tease, seduce and amuse my seven senses individually and all culminating into one big bang of liquid/solid pleasures diffused ever so pleasurably.
Thanks Stephen. I look forward to meeting your oenologist wife Pamela sometime. I understand that you work on the wines together. Keep up the good work on these " old-vines " red wines made in the Santa Cruz and the Santa Clara areas. We will have some of these wines here the first week of June. Good luck, too at the ZAP tasting tomorrow here in Washington D.C. I may see you there time-permitiing. Cheers, TONY
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