There are big changes afoot at Randall Grahm’s iconic Bonny Doon Winery with the highly experimental Popelouchum Vineyard nearly ready to begin producing. New varietals, rediscovered ancient varietals, and new techniques for expressing terroir will soon have the wine world abuzz. But as we look forward to the future we can treasure the past.
Bien Nacido is a historic vineyard in Santa Maria Valley with the distinction of being the first cool climate vineyard in the U.S. to plant Syrah. Who better to make wine from these grapes than Grahm, one of the original Rhone Rangers who helped put American Rhone varietals on the wine map.
Bold, forceful aromas, more demonic than pretty, are themselves worth the price of admission. Rich, smoked meat with mint highlights, fresh dark berry and a spice note I couldn’t nail down—the warmth of clove but more herbal—mark this wine as distinctive from the first whiff.
The medium-bodied palate opens with pure juice, followed by an expansive seam of minerality, which then condenses becoming dusty with flavors of tart, dried berries. A luscious, peppery burst of fresh fruit returns to launch a finish that fades to distinct cranberry notes at terminus. A dance between freshness and desiccation marks this wine at this stage of life, revealing and concealing, coy about disclosing an essence. Brisk and insistent as it evolves on the palate, texture changes create a sense of friction, competing forces in tension, holding each other in check like cool water swelling against parched sand. Tannins and acidity are so harmonically entangled that you really can’t pry them apart analytically.
There is still plenty of life left in this wine 9 years after vintage.
Exuberant in its austerity, with a heart that blooms coldly, its motion the kind of strident intensity well captured by Springsteen’s Born to Run.
This soon-to-be released wine is from one of the most distinctive wineries in California (see my profile here). Winemaker Scott Sampler’s vision is to make wines using ripe, California fruit and old world winemaking techniques. He macerates his reds up to 140 days before pressing just as they did years ago in Barolo.
Made from grapes harvested from a relatively cool site, White Hawk Vineyard near Los Alamos in Santa Barbara County, 20% of this Syrah was vinified whole cluster and all of it spends 101 days on the skins in neutral barrels before being pressed and bottled on the same day.
The result is a wine as deep as an ocean but with life ”errant and flamboyant” to rob a phrase from the poet Baudelaire. The reference to bawdy Baudelaire is appropriate. “Behind the Purple Door” references the film “Behind the Green Door”, which those of us of a certain age might remember as a popular porn film from the 1970’s. “Purple” of course refers to the color of highly extracted Syrah and the color of the prose needed to describe this wine.
Lush and full up front, acidity enters early and explodes, a quick crescendo of floral and mineral top notes with taut, drawn out tension. Juicy and mouthwatering, the seamless tannin/acid synergy adds great intensity to the wine, propagating prickly sensations with an underlying fineness of grain imparting layers of texture on the finish.
Seductive aromas of blackberry, coffee, freshly turned earth, violets and a bit of crushed rock framed against a musky background, are joined by charcoal and mocha on the palate for an olfactory orgy worthy of Dionysius himself.
To be consumed only with a partner glowing with desire accompanied by the tumult and mystery of Bjork’s Hidden Place.
I have great respect for wineries that hold back release dates until the wine is ready and that pour aged wines in their tasting rooms. It’s not economical to do this; it usually shows an over-riding commitment to quality. Last year when I wandered into the tasting room at Mayo Family Winery in Sonoma, they were pouring wines from their winemaker, Mike Berthoud’s, own boutique operation. While I enjoyed Mayo Family’s wines I was knocked out by the Berthoud offerings including this Syrah. They produce only 74 cases of this
The word “ecstasy” often means joyful excitement but there is an older use of the term more directly related to its origins in the Greek word “ekstasis” which means to stand outside oneself in a trancelike state. This wine is quiet ecstasy, tender but uplifting, too spirited to be serene yet perfectly composed as if nothing could disturb it.
Aromas of blueberry, cumin, dusty earth, old books, and especially crushed rock meld together in tight formation. The palate is fresh and vibrant with a red berry component, yet all rough edges have been ground away leaving a ravishing elegance. The lush opening survives as a cashmere-like softness in the tannins that persists as a seam of minerality slowly takes flight, pushed by glowing acidity that never bites becoming pointed and high toned on the finish. That minerality becomes the wines’ leitmotif—as if a rock could caress.
The relatively low alcohol, and vibrant acidity make the case that wines of restraint and balance age best. This is lovely old world winemaking in the new world.
Pairs with music that has a lyrical sensuality, quietly joyful, such as Ravel’s Sonatine rendered here by Kun-Woo Paik.
Those of us who love aged wines sometimes feel like we face an extinction event. Well over 90% of the wine purchased in the U.S. is consumed within 24 hours of purchase and it is estimated that 99% of our annual production is intended to be consumed with 5 years. Yet, as I travel about the country visiting wineries I occasionally fine kindred souls who make wine intended to age and will not release a bottle until it’s drinking near its peak. Devitt Winery in Southern Oregon’s Applegate Valley is one such winery.
A labor of love producing 800-1200 cases of small lot wine annually, from mostly estate grapes, the winery was started by former Napa producer Jim Devitt in 2003 as a way of salvaging excess grapes. Today the winemaking is done by grandson Brendon who took us through the tasting starting with their recently released, textured Viognier, an outstanding rich, almost buttery Rosato, a big, spicy field blend, and a Pinot Noir. But the stars of the show were the several Bordeaux varietals and Syrah from 2005-2009. Especially this Syrah which saw 9 1/2 years of barrel aging before release.
The expressive nose is a kaleidoscope of constantly changing aromas– cigar box, mint, dried cherry, coriander, caramel and sweet oak. These are gorgeous , rich, deep, focused aromas.
On the palate the dried cherry note is persistent delicately weaving a mouthwatering line knitting the wine together. Soft, spare and elegant upfront, the fruit power fades into a rush of swelling, lively acidity that develops citrus notes on the finish that preside over reticent tannins.
The heady, aromatic elixir and sinuous mouthfeel bring to mind the mysteries and seductions of the Arab Souk at twilight, sensual, secretive, suspense lurking behind curtains, an atmosphere captured by Anouar Brahem’s “Le Pas du Chat Noir”
“With an eye made quiet by the power of harmony and the deep power of joy we see into the life of things”, wrote the poet Wordsworth. Power seems to rule the world but it can accomplish nothing without equipoise and affinity, the harmony of good taste writ large.
From my favorite winery in one of my favorite wine regions comes this new release that will likely not bring harmony to the universe but can instruct us in what harmony is. All the elements so gently speak to each other, I thought I was in church although that feeling quickly passed.
Dried cherry is prominent with hints of anise, milk chocolate and faint crushed rock in the background. With lovely roundness and purity of fruit, the complexity at this point is just beginning to emerge, and if past vintages are an indicator will develop some of the character of a forest floor in autumn with a few more months in the bottle.
It is on the palate where this wine earns its Wordsworth quote. It’s round and dense upfront yet softly textured even as the tannins begin to swell. A seam of minerality enters midpalate lifting the wine as it murmurs of sweet oak. The tannins are a revelation, fine grained and seemingly gentle but with great presence, caressing but with undertow, gathering its energy via a slowly rising tide of tactile sensations that patiently adds firmness becoming more pointed and angular at terminus. The years in barrel have been very kind to this estate wine, and are an indicator of the patience and care with which it is made.
Harmony without effort calm and dignified yet amiable this wine will quiet any storm brewing in the heart. Sip while unraveling Jan Garbarek’s A Knot of Time and Place.
Low and slow usually applies to barbecue and Italian red sauce. Winemaker Scott Sampler thinks it applies to wine as well. A taste of this Syrah will make anyone a believer.
Most winemakers leave red wines macerating on the skins and seeds until fermentation is finished. In some cases an extended maceration is desired for an additional week or two in order to extract more tannin and flavor. Scott keeps the wine in contact with the skins for up to 6 months! This is very old school, the way traditional Barolo was made. The problem with those old Barolos was that all that extraction would make the wines so tannic they were undrinkable for 20 years. Somehow Scott Sampler manages to make wines that are rich and powerful yet soft and supple.
I don’t know how this uber-maceration produces such elegant wines. Conventional winemaking theory would advise against it. In poking around winemaking manuals my guess is that the tannins form long chain polymers that eventually precipitate out of the wine if you macerate long enough thus softening the mouthfeel. Scott said the science isn’t well understood but whatever the explanation, this is a method that requires constant attention, lots of stirring to keep the cap moving, and delicate decisions about when the wine is ready. “The wines go through phases”, he said. They will taste awful one day and I think they’ll never come around. Two weeks later they’re beautiful.”
Soft-spoken and unassuming, Scott is quite literally a “garagiste” producing less than 1000 cases annually out of a tiny, cluttered space in an industrial park in Buellton, near Santa Barbara. He thinks of his wine as made by a network that includes friends, family, truck drivers, field workers, philosophers, scientists, etc.—anyone who has had an influence on the final product. Hence the name Central Coast Group Project. Yet, despite these humble trappings his wines are coveted by somms and are on the list of several fine restaurants in LA and New York.
Truth be told I was predisposed to like these wines. After all Scott was a philosophy major in college at Berkeley and a successful Hollywood screenwriter. He names this Syrah “Captain Kierk (aka The Knightwalker)” after a star-fleet commander and the Danish philosopher Soren Kierkegaard. What’s not to like? (Kierkegaard called himself the Knight of Faith and loved to take walks; hence the name “Knightwalker”.) A long quote from Kierkegaard about productive walks appears on the bottle’s back label. Sampler is really into back story.
I had no doubt the wines would be interesting as we prepared to pay Scott a visit. What I did not expect was to be bowled over, knocked out, awe-struck by the sort of wine that can induce a religious experience. This is one of the best wines I’ve tasted in the U.S.
An incredibly rich, complex nose showing ripe blackberry, balsamic, wet autumn leaves, violets, dark chocolate, caramelized bacon and a lovely sweet oak top note. You could get lost for hours in these aromas. But it’s the combination of power, breadth, and tenderness on the palate that sets this wine apart. The opening is meaty with robust dark cherry, but then turns soft and luxurious at midpalate, light on its feet despite the impression of immensity left by the depth of concentration. A bright, mineral seam develops, as the wine begins to finish, with emergent tannins drying yet soft as talc, very fine grained. As the wine evolves in the mouth it acquires great dynamic range, with fruit intensity persisting showing licorice notes even as the wine fades. At terminus, about 2 minutes in, it gains a kind of spectral presence as if you sense the ghost of what had transpired before.
This is not brooding. It has too much charm to brood. But it is dark and acquires an edge on the back end even as it melts in your mouth. A wine to think about. What is it doing? There must be a meaning here. There is deliberation, stately motion, finding new directions without letting go of the past, power without bombast.
A wine thoughtful and warm, yet majestic but with a touch of the demon, a sacred wine with an intensity matched only by Peter Gabriel’s Rhythm of the Heat.
This is 100% Syrah from Santa Barbara’s Larner Vineyard. Macerated for 101 days, including the native yeast fermentation, it sees two years in neutral French oak with 18 months on gross lees.
Texas’ deserved reputation for big—big steaks, big hats, big territory (and yes sometimes a big head)—is belied by their wines which are often elegant and full of finesse.The parched, hot, gently rolling hills in North Texas near the Oklahoma border might seem an unlikely place to grow quality wine grapes. But this award-winning Arché Syrah made from estate grown grapes is delicious, juicy but with considerable old-world delicacy reminiscent of modern Cote Rotie, including the 5% Viognier in the blend.
Assertive florality, backed up by smoke meats, ripe blackberry with cranberry nuances and rose-inflected cinnamon make a heady aromatic concoction all replicated on the palate. Lively and juicy in the mouth, a glycerin sheen yields a lovely satin-like mouthfeel giving way to a marriage of fine-grained, prickly tannins and brittle, crystalline acidity on the high-toned finish, which features, as it fades, the return of resonant, sweet fruit. Exquisite, subtle use of oak. The fruit really shines.
The wine is uplifting and lyrical but with a bit of fire and irreverence. Coldplay’s Viva La Vida matches the mood.
Oh my. A mammoth, raging bull of a wine, pawing the ground and preparing to charge. Aromas of very ripe berry, coffee, with cinnamon hints against a raw wood background avenge all those feeble French wines you’ve been drinking. In the mouth, it’s in your face. Ripe fruit tempered by milk chocolate feels broad, heavy and a bit coarse but with plenty of linear fruit power carrying through the medium-length finish. With tannins turning powdery, its the angular acidity that gives this wine length battling for every inch. The alcohol is well disguised on the nose but feels a bit hot in the mouth.
As a reviewer, wines like this give me headaches trying to give it a fair assessment. For people who like uber-power and strength with lots of weight this wine will make you dance like a matador. But there is utterly no finesse. It’s not something I would drink regularly but it wasn’t designed to be nuanced. It’s not pretending.
Of the many wineries we visited in our recent stay in Idaho, it was Cinder’s wines that really captured my attention, especially this small batch Syrah made using very traditional methods—hand harvested, crushed by bare feet stomping on whole clusters with stem inclusion, co-fermented with 5% Viognier and aged in 40% new oak for 16 months.
Winemaker Melanie Krause aims for grace and elegance picking fruit at a slightly lower brix level (21-22 degrees) than most of her colleagues. The result really does live up to the slogan “poetry in a bottle”. It helps that 2014 in Idaho was a banner vintage.
A complex nose with good intensity, herbal and mint aromas mingle with dark and red berry flavors against a background of dusty earth and damp leaves. The cranberry-inflected palate features a luscious layer of urbane, polished juice supporting rollicking, lifted acidity that carries through the peppery, medium length finish. Firm but refined tannins. Wonderfully fresh, but with great depth. Think contemporary Côte-Rôtie but with more weight.
The acid numbers seem standard for Syrah (6.9 g/L, PH 3.77) but the perceived acidity pops, which is what happens when you pick a little early.
The “Foot Stomp” Syrah exudes graceful warmth and soothing sophistication but with some tension playing about the edges as exemplified by Eliane Elias’s version of Ravel’s Sonatine: Anime.
I’ve been tasting lots of biodynamic wines lately and I’m beginning to think they tend to share a common flavor profile—fresh bright fruit and a stony or chalky minerality that is especially apparent on the finish. Cowhorn is Southern Oregon’s only biodynamic winery to date and their wines have that distinctive mineral profile.
On the palate the minerality appears in phases of fluent transitions, a hint of it at inception as the juicy berry fruit dominates, then a dazzling surge at midpalate, and as the fruit fades on the finish it’s like licking a stone. Full bodied yet elegant, the refined tannins are supportive rather than commanding with the finish propelled by acidity and minerality.
Ardent aromas of blackberry and red raspberry mingle with black pepper and a lovely duet of smoked meat and eucalyptus that marry nicely on the nose.
A beautiful wine, and when have you seen a U.S. Syrah at 13.3% alcohol?
The number 21 refers to the frost hours during the growing season, a convention they display on many of their wines indicating the degree of ripeness one might expect. 21 is a reasonably low number for this region.
Score: 91
Price: $45
Alc: 13.4%
Energetic, brassy when that minerality hits, even a little fierce, like Trombone Shorty’s Fire on the Bayou, especially when that “bone” sings:
There are big changes afoot at Randall Grahm’s iconic Bonny Doon Winery with the highly experimental Popelouchum Vineyard nearly ready to begin producing. New varietals, rediscovered ancient varietals, and new techniques for expressing terroir will soon have the wine world abuzz. But as we look forward to the future we can treasure the past.
