WTN: Retirement Party

[David M. Bueker]

• 2005 Edmunds St. John Syrah Parmelee-Hill - USA, California, Sonoma County, Sonoma Valley (3/27/2024)
  Happy retirement Steve!
  
  This wine will outlive both of us, and I am a lot younger than you. It’s only now starting to maybe consider thinking about possibly, perhaps at some point turning the corner toward potentially maturing. There’s still so much dark fruit, but it’s not thick or glossy. Instead it’s dryly sweet, and showing just a touch of a creamy edge that creates a mid-palate richness that maybe, sort of, might just remind me of some of those Durell Syrahs that had so much depth and character. This wine isn’t there yet, and zi have no idea if or when it ever will be, but there’s a ton of potential that I can only hope I live long enough to see fulfilled.

It's interesting, the property that became Parmelee-Hill was originally part of the Property owned by Ed Durell, and managed by Steve Hill. Ed sold the portion of the acreage directly above the original planting, and extending south maybe 100 yards, to Steve Hill; it's on a rocky slope, whereas the original vines at Durell were on mostly flat ground with fairly deep soil. That lower acreage was on the hybrid rootstock, and developed Phylloxera, and there wasn't enough healthy budwood to use for a replant, and when vines went into the ground on the Parmelee-Hill acreage, only a very small portion was from that wood. "That wood" was apparently Serine, and it's what made the older Durell planting truly special, I believe.

Congratulations on retirement Steve!

[David M. Bueker]

Thanks for the details Steve!

Thanks, David; The "retirement" decision was made due to events that had nothing to do with anything I could control. I was diagnosed with prostate cancer in '20, a biopsy in '21 that called for treatment, surgery for that in '22, which was successful, but left me feeling little confidence that I'd have the stamina demanded for a harvest, so I didn't crush in '22. Then, just a year ago, Last March, Cornelia fell and broke her hip, and after surgery and a couple months in rehab, something went awry with the hardware from that surgery, and she had to have a second surgery last July. (It's only in the past few weeks that she's become reasonably mobile) At that point Didn't feel I could be unavailable to her for more than an hour or two at a time, so I made no wine in '23, either. I'll be 77 this August, and we've had next to nothing in sales the last two years, so it really makes no sense, at this point to think about doing it again. In addition, a month ago, Ron Mansfield, with whom I worked starting in 1988, my primary grower, died a month ago (He was 76, too) from Parkinson's. I think I was feeling like life was telling me something I needed to hear. I fell like I've been exceptionally lucky to have had the opportunity to find really special grapes, grown by really special people, and really special customers and fans that have made my last 40 years just about as good as they ever might have been for anyone. And it seems like some of the wines we put into bottle might be around longer than I will. Thanks to all.

[David M. Bueker]

Wow.

I’m glad things seem to be improving for you and Cornelia, but wow. Enjoy retirement.

What David said, Steve. Here’s hoping that 2024 and onward are a lot kinder to you and Cornelia.

[Jenise]

Steve, lots of bad news there and I'm so sorry to hear it. But I think you have it right: time to take care of yourself and Cornelia.