Edmunds St. John
Regional Blend
California Table Wine
Les Cotes Sauvages
Blend
1995
14.2%
Full-on filmy, cloudy purple core surrounded by rust red rims. Wooly, leathery nose rife with damp earth, orange peel, smoky cherry, blackberry fruit, funky in a good way, has a matured and relaxed quality that accepts all its flaws as the price of having made it this far. Medium-bodied, the acidity a touch volatile. Expected elements of leather, cowhide, merde and grill smoke, in the end tastes sort of like a doused campfire. Tar, asphalt, and sand notes swirl around, knowing that it's in its best interest not to settle down. The raspberry, strawberry, blueberry fruit hanging on but surely starting to fade. Turbulent and close to rough, but patently honest. Unspecified percentages of Grenache, Syrah, Mourvedre.
88 points