Clendenen Family Vineyards with Director Mike Mulesky
A nice turnout last week. The unoaked mineral-toned Cote Jura Chardonnay was a winner with near-universal praise.
May 24, 2023
Light Wines for Summer Heat
Some very good and well-made wines last week. They showed Jim Clendenen’s nice balance between ripe fruit, good acidity, and tasteful use of oak. Mike Mulesky from the winery explained why and how with no technical jargon.
The Tocai Friulano was an impressive surprise for many tasters. It showed the Friulano grape’s haunting herbal quality in a round, well-fruited wine, burnished by bottle age. It has a dimension and complexity that you normally find in far more expensive bottles.
The Chardonnay was classic Central Coast, a very nice all-purpose wine. the Mondeuse rose was popular also with its slightly more exotic sour plum flavors, again a good all-purpose rose.
People considered the Valdigue to be pleasing and good value. Once thought to be the gamay grape, it was like a very ripe and rounded Beaujolais. Several bottles left the store that day.
Many were impressed by 2016 Syrah Viognier Rancho la Cuna’s deep fruit and tangy edge a lot and considered it a very good Sarah, especially for the money.
One other wine deserves special mention.
Mike brought an extraordinary Syrah from a single plot of older vines in Bien Nacido Vineyard. The 2018 Syrah Z Block was heady, deep, and very, very rich, one of the best Central Coast Syrah's we have tasted With air, it can be drunk now, but will improve for several years. it will be here in a few weeks.
White
2018 Tocai Friulano; Color: pale green light; Mouth: clean, softly rich, intense, pure fruit, light barrel tannins, nicely fleshy, broad; Very Good - Excellent $21.99; Case, $18.99
2017 Chardonnay Bien Nacido; Aroma: light, bright, clean, fresh, pretty clean, juicy fresh; Mouth: juicy fresh, lightly oaked clean, bright, fleshy, nicely tactile, clean, herbal, firm, fleshy, and soft on the finish; Very Good - Excellent $56; Case, $48
Rose
2021 Mondeuse Rose Bien Nacido; Color: medium dark; Aroma: heady dense, fullish, with light spice; Mouth: juicy rounded fleshy bright acid fullish, nicely juicy; Very Good Plus $21.99; Case, $18.99
Red
2019 Valdigue Shell Creek Vineyards; Color: very dark purple red; Aroma: fresh, bright, clean deep, juicy, firm; Mouth: fleshy and very ripe with full rounded fruit rounded, medium body light in affect, refreshing; Very Good Plus$26.99; Case, $22.99
2018 Nebbiolo the Pip; Aroma: heady, very dense, a crisp flinty sweet note, very nicely herbal; Mouth: bright, intense, clean, firm, bright, clean acid edge, very long; Very Good Plus $33; Case, $28
2016 Syrah Viognier Rancho la Cuna; Color: medium dark; Aroma: fresh, lightly aromatic, bright, plump, lightish, heady, dark fruit very intense; Mouth: juicy bright, firm, clean, firm, bright, smooth, lifted, clean, lightly Rhone inflected; Very Good - Excellent $40; Case, $34
5-24-23 Clendenen Case: Special, two each of the above wines - $339
or
Make your own case of any twelve bottles at their case prices
Prearrival
2018 Syrah Z Block Bien Nacido; Color: very dark; Mouth: clean very pure restrained smooth textured, with some bright acid, a point for new world syrah, medium weight but nicely concentrated, deep plum and marrow on a very long finish; Excellent Prearrival $69 Net
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- Len Rothenberg
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