Thursday, January 21, 2010

What's the HoseMaster Drinking?


KENNETH-CRAWFORD 2004 SYRAH LAFOND VINEYARD SANTA RITA HILLS



I haven't the vaguest idea how this bottle got into my wine cellar. I broke an opener a few days ago and left it for the Screw Fairy, maybe this was my reward. If you don't have a Screw Fairy I suggest you get one. I did a search and it turns out they're easy to find on Craigslist. Actually, I do remember at one time I was on the Kenneth-Crawford mailing list, back in the day when I was on mailing lists like Amy Winehouse is on mind-altering substances, that is, way too many, none of which seem to have conferred any talent. What's odd is that I normally avoid hyphenated wine--though I do like Dashe. But here was this bottle of 2004 Syrah from the hyphenated boys at Kenneth-Crawford made from grapes grown at LaFond Vineyard in the Santa Rita Hills which had magically appeared in my cellar. I recalled that 2004 was a vintage notable for a nasty heat spike at harvest and I was a bit concerned that the wine would be a victim of that, taste raisiny and unbalanced, like Pat Robertson. But, hallelujah, it bore not a trace of the sulfurous stench of the evangelist. In fact, it was heavenly. I fancy myself something of a Syrah fetishist, and this Kenneth-Crawford definitely had me on a leash. I surrendered to its blackberry and blueberry domination, crawled on my belly for its fine tannins, and let its acidity arouse me. And then I drank it. I had no memory of this wine, but, somehow, I was smart enough to have bought some and cellared it. It still has years ahead of it. I suspect I paid about $30 for it, and that turns out to have been a huge bargain. I loved it so much I went immediately to their website. These hyphenated boys know their way around Syrah.


The HoseMaster Score: 889,065 Points


Disclaimer: For all I know this wine was a plant. For all you know, I'm a plant. Like Alder Yarrow.



7 comments:

Anonymous said...

HMW,

Sta? In your cellar? Not only STA, but hyphenated STA. My favorite hyphenated STA is Brewer-Clifton.

As usual, this post had me LOLing and ROTFLing and BFOMDFE.

<3 Erin

Samantha Dugan said...

"I crawled on my belly for its fine tannins, and let its acidity arouse me"....damn. Next time, may I watch?

Ron Washam, HMW said...

Erin Love,

OK, I'm old, so WTF is BFOMDFE?

I never said I didn't like Syrah from the Sta. Rita Hills (in 2004 it was Santa Rita Hills--who let those damn Chileans push us around? Where was Fess Parker Crockett when we needed him?), I'm just of the opinion the Pinot Noirs from there are wildly overrated.

My Gorgeous Samantha,

Only if it's OK with Arthur.

I adore you!

Samantha Dugan said...

Ahhh, I gotta ask Arthur huh? Well since I never like asking permission I'll just take a pass.

Ron Washam, HMW said...

My Gorgeous Samantha,

No, I'M the one who likes asking permission. Go ahead, take a pass, so long as it's at me.

Samantha Dugan said...

I just did and look how I was treated...humpf!

Anonymous said...

You know what, I forgot what BFOMDFE was. Crap.