Tag Archives: Syrah

Wine Review: Berthoud Vineyards and Winery Syrah Sonoma Valley 2007

10 Tuesday Apr 2018

Posted by in Ageing Report, Wine Reviews

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

,

berthoudI 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.

Score: 93

Price: $45 (Purchase Here)

Alc: 13.8%

Advertisements

Wine Review: Devitt Winery Syrah Reserve Applegate Valley, Oregon 2006

20 Tuesday Mar 2018

Posted by in Ageing Report, Wine Reviews

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, , ,

devittThose 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”

Score: 92

Price: $26 (Purchase Here)

Alc: 15.1%

Wine Review: Edwards Vineyards and Cellars Syrah Ramona Valley 2012

20 Tuesday Feb 2018

Posted by in Wine Reviews

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

,

edwards2“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.

Score: 93

Price: $29 (Purchase here)

Alc: 15%

http://www.mojvideo.com/video-jan-garbarek-a-knot-of-place-and-time/c8273eaefb1c488e12d9

The Art of Wine: Central Coast Group Project Captain Kierk (AKA the Knightwalker) Syrah Ballard Canyon 2013

06 Tuesday Feb 2018

Posted by in The Art of Wine, Wine Reviews

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

,

captain kierkLow 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.”

central coast group projectSoft-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.

central coast group project 2An 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.

Hurry. Only 73 cases made.

Score: 95

Price: $75 (Purchase Here)

Alc: 15.5%

Wine Review: Arché Winery and Vineyard Syrah Montague County 2015

12 Tuesday Dec 2017

Posted by in Wine Reviews

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

,

Arche-Syrah-2015Texas’ 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.

Score: 92

Price: $34 (Purchase here)

Alc: 14.2%

Budget Wine Review: Michael David Winery 6th Sense Syrah Lodi 2015

01 Friday Dec 2017

Posted by in Budget Wines, Wine Reviews

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

,

michael david syrahOh 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.

Pair with a T-bone and some Prophets of Rage.

Score: 89

Price: $15 (Purchase Here)

Alc: 15%

Wine Review: Cinder “Foot Stomp” Syrah Snake River Valley Idaho 2014

08 Tuesday Aug 2017

Posted by in Wine Reviews

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

, ,

SLS-Foot-Stomp-Syrah-196x680

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.

Score: 92

Price: n/a

Alc: 14.5%

Wine Review: Cowhorn Syrah 21 Applegate Valley 2013

11 Tuesday Jul 2017

Posted by in Wine Reviews

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

,

Cowhorn_2013-Syrah-21-1I’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:

Cabernet Envy is Bad for the Soul and Bad for the Industry

23 Thursday Feb 2017

Posted by in Wine Culture

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, ,

big bottleTwo articles caught my eye recently about storied wines that are getting hard to sell. Several Italian restaurants in New York and Chicago report declining sales of Chianti as Super Tuscans and riper wines from emerging regions in Southern Italy gain in popularity. But the cited explanation for the decline is a conundrum. Some say it’s because customers prefer softer, riper wines with less acidity that are easy to drink. Others claim that Chianti has adapted to this new style by adding soft, easy-drinking Cabernet and Merlot to the blend and has lost its traditional appeal. Can they both be right?

Along the same lines, California Syrah was booming in the 1990’s but has now fallen on hard times with many wineries abandoning the grape because consumers won’t buy it. Here, the explanation seems a bit more straightforward:

Statewide, we all witnessed the Syrah boom of the 1990s,” says viticulturist Greg Adams, winemaker for Baker Lane Vineyards in west Sonoma County. “A planting frenzy was ignited by a few quality-focused producers, and being a high-bearing variety, every farmer seemed like they needed to get in on the Syrah gold rush before their neighbors did, only to spark an unsustainable growth of a relatively marginal grape variety….The way this translated into the marketplace was with an ocean of average, overripe Syrah, which ended up being discounted due to an unmarketable oversupply,” says Adams.

There is a common theme here isn’t there? Consumers demanding more ripeness and bigger flavor. Wineries chasing the latest trend give it to them. But then the consumers get bored because over-ripe wines are, well, boring and so they lose interest.

You can blame the wine industry for chasing a fast buck but that would be like blaming lions for being predators. The real problem is consumers who think every wine should taste like Cabernet, and then wonder why they get bored when every wine tastes like Cabernet.

Wine drinking is like portfolio management—diversify!

 

*Yes. I know Cheval Blanc (pictured) is elegant Cab Franc and Merlot but I liked the picture.

Review: Briceland Vineyards Humboldt County

10 Tuesday Jan 2017

Posted by in Wine Reviews

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, ,

bricelandWhen you think of California wine, Humboldt County doesn’t immediately come to mind. But nestled within the redwoods and pot farms there are about 150 acres of wine grapes and over 25 wineries in this sprawling county that is home to the Willow Creek AVA. They’ve been making under-the-radar wine here for close to 40 years and Briceland Vineyards has been there for most of it. Founded in 1985 by Joe Collins and Maggie Carey who were instrumental in helping to launch winemaking in the region , son/step-son Andrew Morris and his wife Rosie now own and operate the winery, which produces around 2000 cases per year, with 75% of their production sourced from a variety of small vineyards in the county. From the cool, coastal-influenced vineyards in the south to the warmer, inland valleys in the north affected by central valley heat, and a mountainous topography to break up any settled pattern, there is great diversity and many microclimates in this region, and Briceland’s lineup reflects some of this diversity with their site-driven, hand-crafted wines.

I recently had the opportunity to taste through several of their Humboldt County wines and I spent a very pleasant evening with a 2014 Syrah.

This Syrah has an intense, complex nose showing plum, violets, smoky bacon, and black pepper with chocolate undertones. Aeration exposes a mint note.

In the mouth it is dense with a slight oiliness discernable and firm tannins. It’s all very warm and comforting—what else could bacon and chocolate be? These are oak derived flavors but there is no hint of woodiness. Although the acidity does not seem prominent, there is a lifted, mineral quality in the mid-palate that draws your attention to the top notes giving the wine a fresh aspect as it finishes.

A delicious and very interesting Syrah, unusual because of the lifted quality and the boldness of the meat and smoke that nevertheless feels integrated. I’m in love. Score it a 92.

Here are my quick, first-impression notes on the rest of the line up. The Pinots are especially noteworthy for their vineyard expressions but every wine was superb. Humboldt is now on my radar.

1. Jupiter Pet Nat Ishi Pishi Vineyard Humboldt County

Jupiter is a red, seedless Muscat grape. These grapes are grown organically. Apple and floral notes and quite “leesy” with pleasant, bitter herbal notes on the finish. Medium-bodied and textured in the mouth. An interesting, refreshing wine, a successful experiment.

2. Sauvignon Blanc Humboldt County 2015

Aromas of Meyer lemon, wet stone and pineapple with floral notes. Medium bodied, quite rich for this grape. A bit short on acid compared to the standard Sauvignon Blanc profile but delicious.

3. Viognier 2015  Ishi Pishi Vineyard Humboldt County

Stainless steel fermentation with full malolactic. Floral with pronounced papaya notes. Medium body with racy acidity. Some bitter fennel on the finish. An excellent California Viognier.

4. Chardonnay Humboldt County 2015

Unoaked. Dazzling purity. Lemon zest with pronounced pine notes and hints of butter and herbs. Green tea and a slight bitterness on the finish. A lovely, cool climate Chardonnay.

5. Rosé of Pinot Noir NV Humboldt County

Quite dark in the glass with aromas of hibiscus and orange zest complementing the raspberry fruit. Excellent acidity. Very dry, crisp but with surprising texture. No malolactic fermentation or oak.

6. Pinot Noir Humboldt County 2014

Candied fruit, perfume, and spice, a smooth entry with an intense finish, firm tannins, more herbal than the other Pinots.

7. Pinot Noir Ronda’s Vineyard Humboldt County 2014

From a westerly vineyard facing southwest, about 1000 ft. in elevation. Black cherry, allspice and floral notes with some density, structured with higher apparent acidity than the others.

8. Pinot Noir Alderpoint Vineyard Humboldt County 2014

   A warmer site. A gorgeous, ethereal nose with black cherry, spice, and a heath bar or caramel note. Fresh, with great complexity, structured with high acidity but light and lifted, full of finesse on the palate. A gem. My favorite of this lineup of fine Pinot Noir.

9. Pinot Noir Phelps Vineyard Humboldt County 2014

Cherry, plum and spice notes with some caramel, dense and structured with bright acidity and firm tannins.

10. Zinfandel Humboldt County 2014

Red raspberries, and cherry, set off by bay leaf. Low alcohol and high acidity for a Zinfandel. Elegant and well put together with a long finish supported by fine-grained tannins. A gorgeous wine.

Updated 1/10/17

Reviews based on industry samples