RHONE WANNA-BE'S

Perhaps credit for the planting of the major Rhone varietals in California goes to Joseph Phelps, who offered a varietal Syrah back in the mid 1970s.  

We think, however, even more credit goes to Randall Grahm of Bonny Doon Vineyard.  Grahm began in his quixotic quest to master Pinot Noir.  He came to realize that California's climate was more suited to Mediterranean varieties than Burgundian.  He's brought attention to Grenache (the primary grape of French Rhone wines such as Côtes du Rhône or Châteauneuf-du-Pape), Syrah (the noble red grape of the Northern Rhône, producing wines such as Hermitage and Côte-Rotie) and  Mourvèdre (also known as Mataro or Monastrell in Spain and the backbone of the robust reds of Provence called Bandol). 

A prominent Rhône Ranger winemaker sent a note saying Randall Grahm's interest in Syrah was piqued after his tasting a 1982 Syrah from Paso Robles made by Bob Lindquist (Mister Qupé).  Mr. Grahm says he doesn't recall it that way.

Sometimes Randall Grahm has been the victim of his own success, losing out on buying the fruit he's brought attention to as other wineries have been willing to pay premium prices for these grapes! 

There is a current legal entanglement over some grapevines originally said to be Roussanne.  It seems some people have paid money to Sonoma Grapevines for cuttings or Roussanne, planted these "sticks" in the ground and now, several years later, they're harvesting fruit.  Unfortunately these grapes are Viognier, not Roussanne.   I'm not sure I'd want to be in the middle of this situation!

One factor seems lost on many California producers of "Rhône-styled" wines.   European connoisseurs have historically turned to the Rhône Valley for wines when Bordeaux and Burgundy priced themselves out of reach.  It is still possible to buy glorious Rhône wines in the $10-$20 range.  

Many of the California Rhône Rangers' (as they're called) wines are in the $25-$50 category!  Frankly, we've tasted some mighty fine Rhône wines which cost a fraction of what the California wineries are asking.  Many local producers are banking on, apparently, scarcity as a factor in allowing them to seek these luxury prices before their wines have reached the same quality level.

Not a lot of them have a great understanding of the wines they are trying to imitate.  One fellow recently stopped by with a Viognier, telling me "The wine from this vineyard doesn't taste right when it's bone dry."  I kept my big mouth shut as I was thinking "It doesn't taste right sweet, either!"

He had a freshly-bottled Rosé.  Only 15% alcohol, too!  As for his Syrahs, none was likely to keep Rhône Valley winemakers awake at night knowing there's competition from California!  I asked him what Rhône winemakers he liked and he ran off a list of many good wineries.  Too bad his wines didn't taste as good to me as some of our $10 (and less) Côtes du Rhônes.  

Another fellow made a Syrah Rosé of huge alcohol (he claims it's around 19.0% alcohol and dry!) and asks $75 for a bottle.  

In a recent edition of Robert Parker's "Wine Advocate," many of the micro-production Syrah wines are evaluated.  Highly praised are wines which some consumers may find undrinkable.  The wines are picked at high levels of sugar and end up producing wines nearly as alcoholic as a martini!  We don't agree with this notion that bigger, more intense wine is necessarily better.  

Amazing is the fact that Mr. Parker wrote a book on the wines of the Rhône Valley.  He seems to have a good idea of what the wines from France, the benchmarks, ought to taste like.  Yet he is advising consumers to throw serious amounts of money at wines which are less-than-stellar, in our view.  (Look at some of Mr. Parker's reviews of Australian wines.  Yikes!)

Further, by heaping what we view as unwarranted praise on many of these wines, Mr. Parker is encouraging winemakers to make these behemoths since those are wines which get the highest numerical scores.    Winemakers will continue to pick at higher and higher levels of sugar and make wines more potent than Sherry!  

I spoke with one well-established winemaker whose wines get good reviews from Mr. Parker.  He said he felt a bit "sick" when reading Parker's Issue #154 from notes gathered over the summer of 2004.  "I thought about writing a letter to him suggesting that he's totally lost with respect to these wines.  But I don't want it to sound like 'sour grapes' since he does rate my wines.  And besides, such a letter might adversely impact the scores for my own wines."  

We poke fun at ourselves on our wine-tasting pages pointing out that our blind-tasting comparisons are for "sport" and they are not "rocket science."  The notion of scoring every wine with a numerical score on a 100 or 20 point scale seems silly, since these numbers really are a personal reaction to a particular wine.  And they are "valid" (if you wish to give them any credence) for the flight of wines in which they are tasted.  That is, a 90 point wine in one line-up, might merit only 85 points in another, while garnering 93 points amongst a weaker field of challengers.  

But to attain the lofty scores many winemakers seek, one is obliged to make "extreme" wines.  You have to have a wine with more color, more body, more intensity than other wines.  These wines, evaluated in the context of a "wine tasting", may show far differently than they do in the context of dinner-time wine "drinking."  

A "taster" has but a minute or two to evaluate a wine.  They don't "live" with the wine for an hour while dining.  We've found many of these huge monsters to be fatiguing and, frankly, uninteresting after the first glass.  

We admire the enthusiasm of some of the local winemakers, but think some might benefit from additional study in the realm of wine and how it pairs with food. 

It's, perhaps, fortunate that the old-time fashion of flambéing food tableside in restaurants is passé, since many of these wines might catch on fire and cause serious damage!  Some of the white wines are well over 15% alcohol!   These can burn a hole on your palate.

Some Wines We Like:

QUPÉ

Bob Lindquist owns this "modern stone-age winery" and produces Chardonnay, along with Marsanne, Roussanne, Viognier and a series of Syrah-based reds.  Located in the wine-making facility surrounded by the Bien Nacido Vineyard, Au Bon Climat, Makor and a host of other labels are produced in this winery.  We've been featuring Bob's wines since the early or mid 1980s.  Even though he's an ardent fan of the Los Angeles Dodgers, we still like Bob and his wines.  

We're not sure if there's hope on the horizon or not, as Bob married a Bay Area woman who's a Giants' fan (at least SHE'S got some brains!).   

Bob's success with his Rhone-styled wines had led to his hiring, way back when, by the small Provence estate, Chateau Routas.  He certainly improved their wines, but the owners finally sold the property and it's now run by a Scotsman.

The Syrahs of Qupe are varied--the Central Coast bottling is about the weight of a Pinot Noir and is berryish, simple and soft.  I suggest serving it at cool cellar temp and it seems to go nicely with a wide variety of foods.  The 2005 is a delightful wine.  It's from about 13 different vineyard sites.  One other factor we especially like is that Bob doesn't go overboard with picking late and making a hugely alcoholic wine.   He says "I'm too old and set in my ways to make those big fruit bomb Syrahs..."  So are we.


The Bien Nacido Hillside Estate is a deeper, richer, more smoky red wine.  It has some bacony or hickory smoke elements similar to Northern Rhône Syrahs.  The 2003 is complex and deep, a perfect wine for some sort of lamb or duck dinner.  It is drinkable now and will show well for probably another 5-8 years.  (We have a few magnums of the 2001 Hillside Syrah...also a stellar bottle!)

The 2005 Bien Nacido Reserve features a wine that's a bit more plump than most  Pinot Noir wines, but not as hugely tannic or structured as some California Syrah wines.  It displays blueberry-like fruit and a hint of green olive--very nice with duck.

With the 2001 vintage, Qupé has a bunch of single vineyard bottlings of Syrah.  That would be about five of them!  Each is a bit different, all of them being in the range of "very good" to "excellent."   I have not purchased any of these, finding that 3 Syrahs from one producer are certainly enough.

Lindquist also has done well with his new white wines.  The 2005 Viognier will surprise you with its freshness and fruit.  The wine is, surprisingly, vinified in oak, yet wood is not noticeable in tasting this wine.  Unlike some of the Viognier wines which attract the attention of various well-known critics, this wine is not sweet nor is it 15+% alcohol.  It's drinkable, not merely a wine for wine tastings.  Sold out now, though.

Bob's Reserve Roussanne was also exceptional.  This is a bigger white wine...it is vinified in year old French oak, so there's a noticeable contribution from the wood without the wine being oaky.  It's deep, apricot-like with notes of orange peel.  Big.  Pair this with shrimp, crayfish or any other nice seafood that works well with a big wine.

Currently available: 
2003 Santa Barbara County, Bien Nacido Vineyard "Hillside Estate" Syrah $39.99-750ml  
2001 Bien Nacido "Hillside Estate" Syrah $89.99-Magnums  (last bottles)
2005 Central Coast Syrah $14.99
2005 Bien Nacido Syrah "Reserve" $24.99

JC CELLARS

Jeff Cohn worked, in real life, at Rosenblum Cellars across the Bay.  He's a big fan of the wines of France's Rhône Valley and has visited a bunch of wineries over there while doing industrial espionage.  He's such a fan, he's got a couple of special yeasts he employs for his fermentations which originate in the  Rhône.  Jeff credits these yeasts with highlighting the spice and bramble notes in Syrah.

We have found his initial wines to be of good quality.  The first vintage was 1997 and we're delighted to report there's been a steady increase in quality to the point where the releases of 2002 vintage wines suggest this guy has become one of the top dogs with respect to Syrah.

One of the most stunning wines we've tasted in a while is a blend of Ventana Vineyard Syrah from Monterey and a wine made by Rhône Valley winemaker Pierre Gaillard.   Blending his wine from California and one from the Rhône appellation of Saint-Joseph, Cohn has blended and bottled a wine which really allows you to taste the elements of each region.  This is the sort of eyebrow-raiser where you can tell this guy "gets it."  (In our view, there are dozens of California Syrahs and Rhône blends which strike us as being made for economic reasons more than intellectual or artistic...)   Gaillard contributed a Syrah from his Clos du Cuminalle vineyard.
In any event, there's not much of this amazing wine to be had, so if you are one who really appreciates Rhône Syrahs, don't miss this, even though you need $40.  It's one of those deluxe wines where you actually get your money's worth, in our view.  They made less than 100 cases of this wine.

More normally-priced and still in the realm of "excellent" is Cohn's 2004 Syrah from the Santa Barbara vineyards of Fess Parker.  Now, Parker has his own winery and produces some Syrahs of competent quality...but this JC Cellars wine is a couple of levels above Parker's own wines.  This really captures some nice Rhône-like elements, including lavender, white pepper, black olives/tapenade with a hint of oak.  It's drinkable now...very attractive for lamb or duck, especially.  Or perhaps you want to try something with more body than Pinot Noir, less tannin than a Cabernet and less costly than a half-bottle of some Napa Cabernet.  Then treat yourself to this!  Less than 400 cases were produced.

The "Rockpile" bottling of Syrah comes from Sonoma's Dry Creek Valley...great Zinfandel territory.  It is big, deep, dark rich and teeming with berry fruit.  Blackberries, especially.  Don't wear white or light colored clothing in the vicinity of an open bottle of this wine.

The Caldwell vineyard bottling, like the Rockpile, is a dangerous wine.  Don't spill!  Deep, dark, saturated in color and teeming with fruit, there's an underlying spice tone to the wine.  It is massive.  Needs rich food.

The Ventana Vineyard was, back in the late 1970s, looking like a prime source of good grapes.  Though the owners of the vineyard have not ever made much of a splash with their own wines, they still grow some very good fruit.  Cohn made an excellent 2002 Syrah from their Monterey vines.  This is delicious right now and displays lovely spice and berry notes.  It's easily recognizable as Syrah to those of us who enjoy wines from the Rhône.  

Currently in stock:
2005  "Fess Parker Vineyard" Syrah $28.99

2004 "Rockpile" Syrah $49.99 (limited)
2003 "Caldwell" Napa Syrah $44.99 (limited)

 

 

 

 

THE OJAI VINEYARD

Former Au Bon Climat partner Adam Tolmach owns this little winery with his wife Helen.   Located near Ojai in the Ventura County town of Oak View, Adam's interest in drinking Rhone wines has caused him to encourage a local grower or two to cultivate Syrah.   He's offered several bottlings and these young, tannic monsters have attracted some attention from The Critics.  These need substantial food to tame the tannin or much patience and a cool cellar.  

Now Adam is a gray beard in a neighborhood full of young pups.  He and fellow Syrah fan, Bob Lindquist (Qupé) both seem to have the notion of picking grapes "ripe" and not "over-the-top" ripe.  The young kids must think these two to be "old farts" since they pick at a potential alcohol of about 14%, while the current fashion is to pick later and shoot for 15% alcohol Syrahs.

Adam bottles a "generic" Santa Barbara Syrah and some single-vineyard offerings.

The Santa Barbara bottling is usually more forward than the single vineyard wines.   The 2004 is a fantastic bottle, though, so please don't think it to be inferior to the more costly wines.   It may, in fact, be more drinkable than the more structured, single vineyard bottlings.  Adam's 2003 was exceptional, showcasing warm climate Syrah.  This vintage offers a bit more refinement as some of the fruit comes from cooler climate areas of Santa Barbara County.  While a shade less flashy than the 2003, this is probably the finer wine of the two.  


The 1999 Bien Nacido Syrah is showing quite handsomely these days.  There's a spice and fruit quality to the fragrance, but several years of bottle aging have allowed this to blossom and become really complex.  We find an underlying smokiness to this wine and it has the sweetness of many California reds from this vintage.  Best decanted.

The 2002 Melville is a big, "dark" charactered wine.  This comes from the Santa Rita Hills, a rather cool climate.  It might be too cool for its own good as Syrah in that location needs to be cultivated with great care.  Small crop levels are mandatory or the fruit will not make it to the finish line before the growing season ends.  The 2002 offers a hint of a brown spice tone on the nose and palate.  It's got plenty of "spine" despite being approachable now.  It's likely to still taste reasonably young in five more years!

The 2001 White Hawk comes from a site near Los Alamos.  It's sandy soil, so vine production is inherently low.  Being fairly close to the Pacific Ocean accounts for its rather crisp, tangy acidity level.  Red berry fruit is the hallmark of this wine, though there's an earthy, rough-and-tumble aspect to this wine.  Savory foods tame it, of course.

The 2002 Roll Ranch, a vineyard in Ojai, has a sheath of tannin surrounding it which is fine if you're patient and can hang on to a bottle for a few years before being tempted to open it.  There's plenty of pucker power here.  You have been warned.

Currently available: 
1999 "Bien Nacido" Syrah $37.99 
2002 "Roll Ranch" Syrah $54.99
2004 Santa Barbara Syrah Sold Out
2001 "Thompson" Syrah $49.99
2001 "White Hawk" Syrah $49.99
2002 "Melville" Syrah $59.99





ZACA MESA

This property was founded by an investment group back in the early 1970s.  Santa Barbara County was just getting established as a small viticultural area, what with Firestone having broken ground to start that winery.

Over the years the focus has changed at Zaca Mesa and today they're solidly featuring Rhone varieties.  It's rather ironic that so many good winemakers passed through this place and yet it's not a brand most wine geeks pay any attention to.  This is partly due to the wines being balanced.  They don't make "extreme" wines, the sort of hugely alcoholic, highly-oaked bottlings that hit you over the head.

Some of the famous names who were associated with Zaca Mesa include Adam Tolmach (Ojai), Jim Clendenen (Au Bon Climat), Bob Lindquist (Qupe) and Ken Brown (Byron), amongst others.

The winery originally produced varietals which were popular without much thought as to whether or not these grapes had much potential in Santa Barbara.  As a result, early wines from Zaca Mesa included Merlot, Cabernet, Riesling and Zinfandel.  No wonder the brand had some difficulty in establishing itself!

Someone had the idea of cultivating a grape called Syrah and a few acres of vines were planted back in 1978.  This parcel is called "Black Bear Block" and it's today made into a single vineyard wine of good quality.  It was, until the mid-1980s, the only Syrah planted in Santa Barbara County!

Today the winery cultivates not only Syrah, but Grenache, Mourvedre, Viognier, Roussanne and something called Chardonnay.

We've had the Black Bear Syrah in a few tastings and it routinely shines.  The 2003 is currently in the shop.  Here's a big, deep wine which offers hints of pepper and spice notes, along with dark fruit tones.  It's nicely balanced on the palate and pairing it with lamb, duck or well-seasoned beef is ideal.  They don't make much, having only 3 and a half acres of Syrah in this parcel.  I think they produced well less than 200 cases of this vintage.

Currently in stock:  2003 Zaca Mesa Santa Ynez Valley "Black Bear Block" Syrah $49.99

BONNY DOON VINEYARD
Count us amongst the long-time admirers of the amazing work of the crew at Bonny Doon Vineyard.    The "flagship" wine in the galaxy of California Rhone wines from super-star winemaker Randall Grahm is called "Le Cigare Volant", a French term translating to "the flying cigar" (we call them "flying saucers", the French, apparently, view UFOs as akin to cigars). 

The wine, a California interpretation of "Châteauneuf-du-Pape", pays homage to the citizenry of the Southern Rhone Valley who passed legislation banning the landing of "flying cigars" in their vineyards.  It is, to date, the only law I am aware of, which has not been broken in France.  Over the years the blend has changed and been refined, sometimes by what varieties have been available and other times by the taste of Grahm and company. 

Recently Randall has become enamored with a process being employed (or deployed) by a fellow in the southwest part of France.  This method involves adding tiny bubbles to the tanks during it's maturation.  Randall feels it is possible to manage the tannins with this method, so he's made a somewhat "stronger" version of the Cigare in 1997.  I was privileged to taste a number of samples, from non-microbouillaged (as it's called) to a "little" MB to a lot of "MB."  The heavier dosed versions were, in fact, the more interesting wines.  

Things at this winery have changed dramatically over the past year or two.  Randall sold off his "Big House" brand of wines to a huge wine-marketing firm.  This relieved him of a huge headache and we suspect his consumption of aspirin has diminished as a result.  ((If these marketing geniuses are so capable and competent, why didn't they dream up their own 'brand' of wine and work to sell that?))

Randall is still "driven" to make great wines and he's re-focusing his sights on scaling down production figures, cultivating better fruit and making better wines.  Our most recent look at the wines in the portfolio was not especially exciting and so we are awaiting new releases.

Until then, stay tuned.

Currently available:  
2001 Le Cigare Volant  Sold Out

 

 

 

FAILLA  (JORDAN)

Winemaker Ehren Jordan was pressured into taking his name off the Failla Jordan label by the Alexander Valley producer called Jordan Winery.  So today his own label bears only his wife's name, Failla.  

Jordan's real job is making wine for Larry Turley, where he creates some Zinfandel monsters along with other big reds.  

We were really delighted to taste his "Que Syrah," a wine that reminds us very much of Alain Graillot's Crozes-Hermitage.  Upon complimenting Mr. Jordan for having done such a fine job in capturing "Rhône" character in his wine, Ehren told us he'd lived in, or near Cornas in the Northern Rhône.

"People think it's a very hot region, but I found the temperatures to be moderate much of the time.  That's why I thought this particular site in the cooler Sonoma Coast area, where people are planting Chardonnay and Pinot Noir might provide the sort of Syrah fruit I was looking for." he explained.

We have his 2002 "Phoenix Vineyard" Syrah in stock.  The fruit is from a vineyard near the base of Atlas Peak in Napa Valley.  It's a young vineyard, yet it's producing a dark, deep, robust red.  We find notes of red currants, red berries, a touch of peppery, spicy tones and a hint of that bacon-like or hickory smoked stuff.  Small production, as usual.  Less than 600 cases.

Bingo!  (That's American for "Voila!")  

Currently in stock: 2002 Sonoma Coast "Phoenix Vineyard" Syrah $37.99

 

TRAVIESO

Here's a small production wine made by two remarkable local guys.  One is a highly-respected doctor whose specialty is cosmetic and reconstructive surgery.  That would be Dr. Mats Hagstrom.  (He's of Swedish heritage and his father is on the Nobel Prize committee for physics!)

The other partner is U.S. Geological Survey geophysicist Ray Sliter.  This fellow spent a year at the South Pole and specializes in seismic reflection data collection.

As you might imagine, winemaking and wine marketing have to be worlds away from these fellow's day jobs!

 

The brand name is "Travieso," a Spanish word for "trouble maker."   The trouble begins when you open a bottle and everyone at the table immediately needs a second pour, having rapidly finished the first.   

 

We tasted a delightful Santa Lucia Highlands Syrah.  It's from the 2004 vintage, Mats and Ray's second vintage.  The vines are young, but you wouldn't make that assumption on tasting the wine.  It's deep and dark in color.  The nose is teeming with black and red fruits...berries, dark plums, etc.  We like the vanillin undertone here, as well.  Nice nose, but would you expect anything less from a plastic surgeon?  

This is a reasonably soft, supple-textured red wine.  I brought this to a recent wine tasting and the Travieso received lots of "oohhs" and "aahhs."   Try a bottle and see how this measures on your Richter Scale.  

 

Currently in stock:  2004 TRAVIESO  Santa Lucia Highliands "Kirk Williams' Fairview Ranch Vineyard" SYRAH $34.99

 

BEAUREGARD

The Beauregard family has been growing grapes for several generations and the winery seemed to be more of a hobby enterprise than a serious production facility.

You'd see Beauregard vineyard designated wines on bottles of some Santa Cruz wineries.  We've followed their wines, tasting them over the past few years and seeing a steady improvement.

I used to say I had "low regard for Beauregard," but I've had to change my tune this past year.  It's evident in the glass that there's a serious effort to improve wine quality and we've finally found a wine to bring into the shop!  

 

The family has been involved in the wine & food scene in Santa Cruz since the 1930s, owning a grocery store called Shopper's Corner.  One of the Beauregard's became the owner just before being shipped overseas in World War II.  The family still owns the place and it's a favorite store for foodies in Santa Cruz.

We tasted a remarkably nice Syrah from the 2005 vintage.  Here's a wine featuring a wonderful black pepper theme.  It's unmistakable as Syrah and you could compare it to very good Crozes-Hermitage wines from France's Rhône Valley.  You'll find this goes very handsomely with lamb, beef or a well-seasoned pork roast.  It's drinkable now and probably going to be at its best over the next few years, rather than a decade down the road (but you never know until you stash a bottle and open it up years from now!).

We have a special price on this wine presently.

 

Currently in stock:  2005 BEAUREGARD Santa Cruz Mountains SYRAH (list $25) Sale $15.99






KENDRIC VINEYARDS

This is a brand new enterprise and it's been in the works since "the turn of the century."  Sounds like an old winery, but it's actually brand new and so are their vineyards.

Winemaker Stewart Johnson is the vigneron at Kendric Vineyards and the winery is named after Johnson's late father Kendric.  

Stewart says the old man had high standards and that's why he did not release his 2003 Syrah as it didn't measure up to warrant having the Kendric label on it.  So he waited until the 2004 was ready.  

Syrah comes from a Shenandoah Valley vineyard, while they also have some Pinot Noir in Marin County.  The wines are vinified and matured at a winemaking facility in Novato, not exactly the wine capital of California.  The family has grown and sold Sangiovese grapes from their Shenandoah vines for more than a decade.  Syrah was planted fairly recently and this 2004 vintage shows they made a good choice in cultivating this Rhône Valley varietal up in "them thar hills."

We don't have much Amador wine in the shop.  We know the region has a rich viticultural history, but not many wines made there strike our fancy.  Your mileage may vary.    

Stewart planted Syrah in 2001 and the grapes matured in early September.  One feature we appreciate in Kendric's Syrah is the wine has the flavors of ripe, mature fruit, without being over-the-top in terms of alcohol or tannin.  Here's a guy who's not got a lot of vintages under his belt, yet he's made a wine which shows a measure of finesse.  It usually takes winemakers years to refine their winemaking philosophy in creating wines which actually can be paired with food.  (What a concept!)

The wine spent a year and a half in wood.  Johnson had 8 French barrels and one American, yet oak is a complimentary seasoning here, not taking center stage.  Another refreshing element of Kendric Syrah is that its price tag is sensible and not inflated to the point that buying a bottle is a once-in-a-lifetime event.  Stewart mentioned something about being, essentially, a wine consumer himself and so he's sensitive to the number of dollars one must pay to ransom many California wines.  

We like the dark fruit and berry notes in this wine.  There's an element of spice underlying in the aromatics of this wine and they show up on the palate, too.  Try a bottle and see how you like this new entry...we suggest a savory beef or lamb stew...something hearty and well-seasoned.

Currently in stock:  2004 KENDRIC Shenandoah Valley SYRAH $17.99

 

EDMUNDS ST. JOHN

Getting his start in the retail end of the wine biz, Steve Edmunds makes small lots of wines in rented space in the East Bay, a far cry from some idyllic site along the Rhone Valley!

His wines have often been quite good, demonstrating his eye for good fruit and then capturing the grape in the bottle.  Steve says he's not out to woo The Critics.  

"Our wines may or may not receive the highest numerical ratings bestowed by the most popular wine journals. At the moment when the wine is in the glass, and the glass is placed before the taster, the numbers are meaningless; if I can offer someone a wine that is thrilling to smell, that is unforgettable to taste, that taster, being only human, cannot help but respond. If that response is forthcoming, I will have done my job."

So Steve's wines are, to a certain degree, not for the wine drinker who's looking for a ton of new oak.  You won't find his wines to be manipulated to suit the current taste of the market.  Edmunds enjoys the sense of "place" one finds in many European wines;  the element the French call "terroir."  

"It is our goal to produce wines of the highest level of quality, integrity, and authenticity, the hallmarks of which are balance, nuance, and elegance, wines that express their origins in place and time, wines through which "the earth speaks" in a clear and strong voice."

 

Steve's new release of "Rocks and Gravel" is not named, contrary to popular opinion, to the contents of my brain.  The wine is so named in honor of the rugged terrain you'll find in the Rhône Valley area of Châteauneuf-du-Pape.  The 2003 vintage is about 38% Grenache, 28% of Syrah with 34% Mourvèdre and no Counoise this time around.  The fruit comes from Sonoma, El Dorado and Paso Robles, all warm climate areas.  We found this vintage to be showing a lovely note of the garden fragrances of Provence.  Think of lavender and violets, along with a spice note.  The wine will pair quite handsomely with your butterflied leg of lamb, especially if you stud it with garlic and rosemary.  There's a nice spice tone to this vintage. Production of this wine has increased to just a bit more than a thousand cases!  Wow...Steve is catching up to the likes of Mondavi and Beringer.  Not.

The Edmunds St. John labels used to read: "Produced and Bottled by Intuition and Blind-Luck."  We didn't believe him.
The current vintage label reads: "Cellared and Bottled by Wayward Pilgrims Of The Vine."

Currently available: 2004 "Rocks & Gravel" (List $20)  SALE $16.99

SEAN THACKREY

Here's a real artisan winemaker, someone who makes wine by "feel," not by recipe.  Located in the middle of nowhere (that would be the town of Bolinas, which is unmarked as the locals keep swiping the road signs pointing in their direction), Thackrey buys fruit from a variety of sources and creates some amazingly good wines.  

Thackrey has been branded by some as a "Rhone Ranger," but he's not embraced that designation since he doesn't want to be viewed as "copying" an original.  Thackrey has training as an "art historian," so the idea of making a knock-off of a masterpiece is hardly appealing.  

His wines are named after stars and constellations, so it's no wonder many people describe the wines as "heavenly."  His grape sources have changed over the years, some vineyards being snatched by competitors either in terms of ownership or buying contracts.  Even so, Thackrey manages to offer rather complex, "soulful" wines.  

The flagship bottling is an interesting "minestrone" called "PLEIADES."  It's the "winemaker's secret blend," varying from bottling to bottling, but always managing to be something intriguing.  Thackrey, who doesn't make wine in large quantities, doesn't make wine for "everyone."  And he notes "Why waste an open bottle on a closed mind?"  The current offering features Syrah, Sangiovese, Mourvèdre, Barbera, Carignane, Petite Sirah, Viognier and more!

The "Orion" wine comes from an old vineyard in Napa.  Thackrey believes the fruit is, at least in part, Syrah.  Or something like Syrah.  In fact, there is NOTHING LIKE THIS WINE.  It is unique.  It is amazing.  The color is so intense and dark it nearly stains the glass!  The fragrance is exceptionally fruit, with blackberry notes, blueberries and sweet spices emanating from the glass.  Though I detest the term "gobs of fruit," if ever there was a wine worthy of that descriptor, this is it.  

 

Currently in stock:  PLEIADES Bottling XIV  Sold Out
2002 ORION $74.99
2004 SIRIUS $59.99

JOSEPH PHELPS VINEYARDS

We'll confess to generally being under-whelmed by vintage after vintage of Phelps' attempts at Rhone-styled wines.  So the question then becomes is it just us or have the wines improved over the past couple of years?   We've not tasted a Syrah from this Syrah pioneer (the first to plant it in the Napa Valley back in the 1970s) which struck us as being "Rhone" in style.  At least, not if you're looking for something special from the Northern Rhône.  

They made a small "table wine" called Pastiche which has been okay, but not especially exciting.  We have Southern Rhône wines which are superior, frankly (and they cost less!).

The current "Le Mistral" red, a blend of Rhone varieties, did not strike us as particularly interesting, nor price-worthy.  

Currently in stock:  2001 Pastiche  (reg. $12.50)  Sold Out

STOLPMAN

The Stolpman vineyards were planted with the idea of selling grapes to various local winemakers, but as many growers watch the prices of wines, they succumb to the temptation to make their own.

They currently cultivate about 150 acres of vineyards, including Syrah, Viognier, Roussanne, Counoise, Cinsault and Grenache.  

The winemaker for this property is Sashi Moorman, a fellow we first met when he was toiling at The Ojai Vineyard in Ventura County.  Winemaker Adam Tolmach bought fruit from Stolpman and so Sashi was somewhat familiar with the vineyard before becoming winemaker in 2001.

Early vintages were alright, but we had not found the wines hugely interesting until the recent past.  They get good reviews from various critical journals these days, though we might say some of the wines are a bit 'hot' from the fruit being picked at very ripe levels of sugar.

Under the Rhone heading, we can recommend the L'Avion wine.  The name commemorates the landing strip which was used by airplane pilots back in the 1940s and perhaps earlier.  It's based on Roussanne and this vintage, the 2005, lists a 2% addition of Sauvignon Blanc on the label.  We understand, though, it's actually 2% Viognier.  Whatever the blend, you will want to buckle your seat belt as this wine is rather heady and strong.  Pairing it with prawns or a rich seafood dish is ideal.

 

Currently in stock:  2005 Stolpman "L'Avion" (Roussanne)  $27.99




DOMAINE DE LA TERRE ROUGE

Winemaker Bill Easton used to be an East Bay wine merchant before heading for the hills many years ago.  He's quite a fan of Rhone varietals and dabbles in Viognier, Roussanne, Mourvèdre and, of course, Syrah.  

We're not big fans of most Amador and Sierra Foothill wines, but we've usually found Easton's wines to have a point of elegance and refinement which most other area winemakers there seem to miss. 

Especially good is Easton's selection of his best barrels of Syrah.  The 2003 Ascent, as he calls it, is quite good, being deep in fruit and showing nice spice tones on the nose and palate.  I like the woodsy element in the wine, too.  It's got some oak, but the wood (French oak from a favorite cooperage) adds to the festivities, rather than hogging the spotlight.   

Currently in stock:  2003 Terre Rouge Sierra Foothills "Ascent" SYRAH  Sale $69.99



HERZOG

Few wine geeks would expect to see this label included amongst the various prestigious, artisan wineries featured on our web site.

But here you go...an Edna Valley Syrah from a winery known for its Kosher wines!

We'd actually found this Herzog Syrah to be one of the most interesting wines we'd tasted when surveying the field for "Passover wines."  Many of the wines we'd purchased for our tasting were what might be called "dreck."  

The winemaker at Herzog is a fellow who spent 8 years as the assistant winemaker at Alban Vineyards.  As I understand it, he also had met Manfred Krankl and gave him a hand with some Sine Qua Non wines.  Joe Hurliman is this fellow's name and he works with globe-trotting winemaker Peter Stern.  (We met Peter ages ago when he was the winemaker for a start-up little winery called Turgeon & Lohr near downtown San Jose...this is now the "J. Lohr Winery" and they still have a tasting room in San Jose!)

The grapes are from the Edna Valley and the fruit is reminiscent of blackberries and plums with a hint of spice.  There's a whiff of wood here, too, as this was matured in a bit of new toasty French oak.  In the realm of Kosher wines, this is remarkably good.  And it's worthy of comparison with far more chi-chi wines from currently-fashionable vintners.

Currently in stock:  2002 HERZOG Edna Valley "Special Reserve" SYRAH $29.99

LA FENETRE (TIMELESS PALATE WINES)

In one of those marathon trade tastings, I ambled up and down the aisles prowling for good wines and I came across this curious enterprise called "Timeless Palates."  

It's the work of a couple of So-Cal sommeliers, Joshua Klapper & Mark Mendoza.  Syrah was their best wine, in my view, and it was rather attractively priced.  The fruit comes from grapes grown in the Cuyama Valley above the Barnwood Vineyard. If my notes are accurate, the vineyard is at a very high elevation.   

It's wonderfully plummy and shows hints of violets and other sweet, rather floral notes.  Youthfully exuberant, this is a fine accompaniment to duck or pork dishes incorporating a fruit sauce, especially cherries.

Currently in stock:  2005 LA FENETRE Santa Barbara SYRAH $24.99




ERIC KENT

Kent Humphrey is a young winemaker who's made some very impressive Chardonnays, Pinot Noir and Syrah.

The wines are made at the Copain facility in Sonoma and we especially admired how this guy managed to capture really nice varietal character and notes of terroir in his wines.  With so many young vintners creating "monster" wines, hoping to garner high numerical scores from various wine critics, this fellow's wines actually have a measure of finesse to them.

Each bottling is adorned with interesting art work.  Kent's wife Colleen is an artist and "curator" of the interesting labels featured on their wines.  This is all well and good, of course, but when we're in a restaurant we "want to see it on the plate" and when evaluating wines, we "want to see it in the glass."  

The 2005 Syrah comes from Sonoma's Dry Creek Valley.  It's a big, potent wine being very dark in color and teeming with fruit aromas.  You might encounter notes of blueberries, blackberries, rhubarb, pomegranate and black cherry in this wine.  Hints of spice are in evidence, too.  It's big and rich on the palate, so pair it with something full-flavored.  Lamb, perhaps.  Maybe a selection of cheeses...
We suggest serving the wine a bit cool.  A 45 minute stay in the 'fridge was just about right.  

Limited availability...heck, they made only 100-something cases.

There's a "new" bottling of an elegant 2005.  This comes from a vineyard in the Bennett Valley and we appreciate the lovely berry notes and finesse of the wine.  I'd expect a Rhone Valley winemaker would be pleased to have made this...

Currently in stock:  2005 ERIC KENT Dry Creek SYRAH  $35.99
2005 ERIC KENT Bennett Valley SYRAH $36.99

PROJECT 3000

Here's a new, small production of Syrah from a vineyard in California's Lake County.  There are a lot of volcanic soils in this region and there are lots of rather high elevation vineyards in the area.

If you ever venture to Lake County, take note of some of the extremely red soils.  There is, in fact, a new appellation in Lake County called "Red Hills."

This little "project" takes its name in reference to the 3,000 foot elevation where this Syrah comes from.  Peter Franus is the winemaker and his co-conspirator is a guy named Jim Fiore, grape grower.   He says there's often a bit of snow during the pruning season!  Not only that, but frosts during "bud break" provide a natural reduction in crop levels.  Yields tend to be somewhere around a ton-and-a-half per acre to two-and-a-half tons per acre.  

The soil is very well-drained, a good thing for grape vine cultivation since vines don't like to have "wet feet."  The elevation means cool temperatures.  Fiore reports that on an average day, the Project 3000 vineyard is about 8 to 10 degrees cooler than in the Napa Valley!  Combine that with the huge swing of daytime to night-time temperatures and you have a remarkable setting for soulful wine.

This is a most interesting Syrah.  And unique.  I don't think I have ever encountered a wine with this striking a character:  fresh oregano.  The aromas are reminiscent of a handful of fresh oregano!  Perhaps this will remind you of the garrigue character attributed to many wines of France's Rhône and Languedoc regions.  

 

The wine is 94% Syrah with 5% Grenache and a drop of Viognier.  The Viognier is actually co-fermented with the Syrah.  

 

This wine is fairly big, youthful, yet not coarse or aggressively tannic.  It is going to be absolutely grand paired with a beef or lamb stew this winter.  

I was amused to see a missive from the winery stating "We are aiming to bring the vineyard in the bottle to you and not the winery."  This is their gentle way of saying the wine doesn't have tons of oak.  We certainly appreciate that.

 

Currently in stock:  Project 3000 Lake County "Red Hills" Syrah $23.99

DEL BONDIO

The Del Bondio family has been cultivating grapes in the Napa Valley since the late 1800s.  They have a 20 acre parcel in Oakville that's the original family vineyard and there's a "new" patch of 30+ acres in Rutherford that they've had for more than 50 years!

The Del Bondio family has ties to the old Inglenook winery, as Al Del Bondio worked there for more than 40 years.  Another Del Bondio was instrumental in the early successes of the Markham brand in Napa.   The Del Bondio brand, though, is the work of Rich Poncia and Jim Del Bondio. 

They're practitioners of organic farming, a decision they made two decades ago.  When the government tightened up the regulations covering the organic designation, many growers lost their right to use this terminology.  Not Del Bondio.

The Del Bondio Syrah comes from vineyards planted in 1996.  This is from their Oakville-area vineyards and the wine is a good example of Napa Valley Syrah.  They do a pre-fermentation maceration on the juice and then an indigenous yeast fermentation.   The wine is then matured for about a year-and-a-half in a combination of French and American oak cooperage.  It shows a nice bit of wood, but also good red and black fruit notes on the nose.  We find this to be a medium-bodied red, not one of those Syrahs that smacks you in the face and attacks your palate.  It's a lovely bottle of wine and quite drinkable now.

 

Currently in stock:  2003 DEL BONDIO Napa-Oakville SYRAH (List $25) SALE $15.99

Though most people identify the famous "Pisoni" name with Pinot Noir, this family is also making a small quantity of Syrah.  They use the "Lucia" name for their wines from various Santa Lucia Highlands, Monterey County vineyards.

Gary Pisoni is not a fellow one would consider "normal."  He's a really enthusiastic wine "geek" and embarked on a quest to grow Pinot Noir that's as good as (or better than) the benchmark estates in France's Burgundy region. 

His name appears on a dozen or so different winery brands, all of whom pay him amazingly large sums of money for fruit from his precious vineyards.  

Now that his two sons are finished with their college studies, they've joined the family enterprise.  One has a "B.S." degree in enology (most people will tell you there's a lot of BS in the wine business!), while the other is schooled in finance and business.  

While many vintners view Syrah as a hot-climate grape variety,   Yet some of the best Syrah wines come from vineyards where it's significantly cooler, challenging the vine to mature its fruit before the growing season comes to an end.  As a result, the Sonoma Coast and Monterey appellations, more famous for Pinot Noir, seem to be good locales for Syrah as well.

The Pisoni's Syrah fruit comes from the Garys' Vineyard, a joint-ownership with their neighbors, the Franscioni's.  Apparently there's a law in the Santa Lucia Highlands which mandates everyone be named Gary for the wine to be good.  

The 2003 "Lucia" Syrah bears the Garys' Vineyard designation.  The wine displays a berry note from the fruit, but also a spicy character with plenty of pepper.  There's a mildly smoky note and a touch of bacon fat as well.  It's a delicious red and the tannin level is modest, so the wine may be consumed immediately.  Consider pairing this with duck or grilled lamb.  

 

Currently in stock:  2003 Lucia "Garys' Vineyard" Syrah $36.99

BEHRENS & HITCHCOCK

This brand came about as a collaboration between a restaurant guy (B) and a winery guy (H).  We thank one of our customers, some years ago,  for putting us in touch with this dynamic duo.   The fellow had tasted a B & H wine in his travels and so we've been a supporter ever since.  They make rather small quantities of the various bottlings.  Their 1997 Napa Syrah, for example:  only 375 cases were produced.  That wine won one of our Syrah tastings. 

The partners split and now it's Les Behrens and his wife Lisa Drinkward, who manages their vineyards, who own the place.  They will still offer some wines under the B&H label, but are also creating a new brand using the name of Les Behrens' mom: Erna Schein.  She was, we're told, quite a proficient baker and the label design for the new label features an icon of her electric mixer.  Well, it beats the hell (literally) out of another "critter" label.



We currently have a few bottles of a nice Petite Sirah:  it has intensely fruity notes which are somewhat along the lines of a whole-berry fermentation wine, yet the tannic backbone of some Rhône-styled reds. It will stain your teeth.

The Homage to Ed is in honor of Ed Oliveira, a high school principal and winemaker in Arcata who's known to Les Behrens for working with his kids and giving him some guidance as to winemaking philosophies.  The wine is quite deep and a real mouthful.  Fasten your seat belt when opening this wine.

Currently in stock: 2000 Petite Sirah Napa Valley $38.99
2002 Homage to Ed (Syrah) $53.99
2005 ERNA SCHEIN "Alder Springs" Homage to Ed $56.99
2005 ERNA SCHEIN "Spring Mountain" Petite Sirah $47.99

 

 

NEYERS

Bruce Neyers was the sales manager for a brand new little winery in Napa when we first met him in the 1970s.  The place was called Joseph Phelps Vineyard and Bruce was their sales director.  

Neyers had a degree in chemistry from an east coast university and developed an interest in wine.  His wife Barbara has studied elementary education but seemed more interested in the culinary arts.  She was affiliated with Chez Panisse for many years.  

They launched their label in the 1980s, a simple David Lance Goines bit of artistry adorning the bottles.

Bruce eventually left Phelps and went to work for some little wine importer in Berkeley named Kermit Lynch.  In addition to managing the sales department for Monsieur Lynch, he's got a winery with his own name on it.

Bruce and Barbara's partner in this venture is a fellow named Ehren Jordan, famed winemaker at a little enterprise in Napa called "Turley."  And Ehren has his own project called "Failla" where he makes some pretty good wines.

Jordan has a good background in Rhône wines, having worked for a small firm in Cornas.  Meanwhile, Neyers has contact with some famous growers in France through his Lynch mob connections.  With Syrah they do a pre-fermentation maceration and no sulphur addition at harvest, for example.  They also dabble in retaining some percentage of stems, along with manually "punching down" the cap during the fermentation.  Now you know most of the secrets of this firm.  But getting good fruit is as important.  And Jordan is a big fan of cool-climate Syrah.

We're especially fond of their "Hudson Vineyard" Syrah, a wine coming from the Carneros region.  Mr. Hudson is a big fan of Syrah, too, growing more Syrah than he does Pinot Noir, for example.    The 2002 vintage is deep and dark in color..."Fully saturated" as the critics would say.  It's also got "gobs of fruit," another popular phrase amongst some writers.  The fruit strikes me as reminiscent of blackberries.  Very nice.  Deep.  Dark.  Pedal-to-the-metal kind of red wine.  

 

Currently in stock:  2002 Neyers "Hudson Vineyard" Syrah  $39.99

 

VERAISON

Having a few acres of Syrah high up in their Stagecoach Vineyard, the Krupp family has made a Syrah to add to the growing portfolio of wines.  

The Stagecoach Vineyard is a superb site in the eastern hills of the Napa Valley near Oakville.  Cabernet and Merlot do very well in this location and many Napa winemakers are eager to buy fruit from this vineyard as it's well-farmed by people who understand the end product is wine, not 'just' grapes.  

 

Winemaker/wine-grower Joshua Krupp  bottled his first "Rhône" entry,  a big, deep, showy Napa Valley red wine called "Black Bart Syrah" from the 2002 vintage.

It's definitely a "New World" style of Syrah, being deep and dark in color, full of blackberries and black cherry fruit notes along with a fair bit of wood at this stage.  It's a scarce and moderately costly red wine, but certainly not highway robbery, given what's in the bottle.  The wine was the first place finisher in our October 2004 blind-tasting of West Coast Syrahs.

The 2004 hit the market in July of 2004..a wonderful successor to the first two vintages.  Same style of wine...big...brooding, dark, deep red.  Nice oak and plenty of black fruit notes.   

The reference to "Black Bart" is because one of the Krupp brothers is named Bart, though he's not been know to rob Wells-Fargo stagecoaches as was the infamous thief.  We do not know if Bart Krupp carries a handkerchief  (sorry...obscure reference to Black Bart who dropped a handkerchief which the sheriff noticed had a laundry mark or code on it...the law man was able to track down and arrest its owner as a result).

Remember the famous quotation of Robert Louis Stevenson about Napa Valley wine being "bottled poetry."  Keep in mind the notorious "Black Bart" often left a bit of poetry with each stagecoach he robbed.  (He had been cheated, he felt, by Wells Fargo and he swore he'd take a measure of revenge.)  Here's an example of his work (you might want to drag this out when you're serving this Syrah at dinner:

"I've labored long and hard for bread,
For honor and for riches
But on my corns too long you've tread,
You fine-haired sons-of-bitches."

 

Currently in stock:  2004 Stagecoach "Black Bart" Napa Valley Syrah $49.99
2005 Black Bart's Bride  $47.99







SHAFER

Not many people associate Shafer with Rhone Ranger varieties, since the winery produces Cabernet, Merlot and Chardonnay for the most part.  

But they've been making a rather nice, showy red blend called "Relentless."  It's named in honor of winemaker Elias Fernandez, who's been a part of the Shafer "family" since the 1984 vintage.  

The wine comes from vineyards at the southern part of the Stags Leap District.  It's actually a field blend and they estimate the wine is 80% Syrah and 20% Petite Sirah.   The wine goes into brand new French oak and it's one of the benchmarks for Napa Valley Syrah.  The wine is hardly in the style of most French Rhône Syrahs, having deep black fruit notes, the typical "international" style of power, body and oak of modern, high point-scoring Napa reds.  

We receive a few bottles each vintage and usually have one out for sale.

Currently in stock:  2004 Shafer "Relentless"  SALE $65.99

TRUCHARD VINEYARDS

The Truchard family has been growing grapes in the Carneros region since the mid-1970s.   Though the area is famous for its Chardonnay and Pinot Noir wines, Truchard cultivates a substantial amount of Cabernet, Cabernet Franc and Merlot, along with two small parcels of Syrah.  Both are planted on volcanic soils.  One is at the northern part of their vineyard, the other is located at the southern extreme of the Truchard property.

Now the Carneros region has long been hailed for being a good location for cool-climate varieties, so the region is carpeted with Chardonnay and Pinot Noir.  But a few growers manage to ripen Cabernet and Syrah is not out of the question, either.

But this wine is not the big, bruising, blockbuster style so fashionable today.  The Truchards are not new to the wine industry and their tastes run more towards classically-styled wines rather than the Generation X, extreme style which gets huge point scores today.  

Their 2000 vintage was made somewhat along the lines of Burgundian winemaking.  Some whole berries...open top fermentation tanks...twice daily punch-downs (to macerate the skins with the fermenting juice)...  You'll find a nice not of refinement here and the wine is berryish with an underlying hint of Syrah spice.  The tannins are balanced and it's not a hugely alcoholic red wine.  We like this quite a bit.  It's a fine accompaniment to roasted chicken, lamb, a savory pork roast, mildly-seasoned beef, etc.

Currently available:  2000 Carneros Syrah  $34.99





GREGORY GRAHAM

Greg Grahm grew up in the Midwest, being exposed to vineyards when he was a kid and seeing the family's Concord grape vineyards.  He was able to escape when the border guards weren't watching and came west, enrolling at U.C. Davis.  He went to work for Rombauer, did a stint at the University of Robert Mondavi's Oakville campus and then went back to work for Rombauer.  

Rombauer's facility also features "custom crush" facilities, a sort of "rent-a-winery" set-up, so Graham makes wines for a variety of people.  And he started his own label a few years ago.  Viognier and Syrah are our favorites in the portfolio, though Pinot Noir is periodically of interest, too.
The 1999 Syrah is a monster!  Deep in color, this wine features smoky, hickory-like notes we find in some of our favorite Northern Rhones.  Except Graham's is intensely fruity, too.  Delicious wine, you can chill this to cellar temp (around 55-degrees) and pair it with red or white meats.  

Currently in stock:  1999 Napa Syrah $26.99

ALBAN VINEYARDS

John Alban is one of the leading lights in the Rhône Ranger contingent. His name seemed to first appear on various wine labels as the source of grapes such as Syrah, Marsanne and Roussanne.  

Then he launched his own label, much like many people who grow grapes.  When you see how much money some winemakers ask for the wines from your own fruit, there's certainly the temptation to start making your own.

Early vintages were a bit inconsistent.  Some wines were pretty nice, while others were not to our taste.  Though the current crop of Alban offerings get good reviews from many critics, they are not wines of universal appeal, but the "basic" (if you want to call them that) offerings have been good the past few years.

Alban makes a couple of Viognier wines, for example.  Most of the time we seem to prefer the basic, entry level "Central Coast" bottling.  It is typically more forward, lower in alcohol and simply "easier" than the Estate wine.  If you'd like a good introduction to California Viognier, the Central Coast bottling is certainly a good choice.  

The Estate wine is bigger and more of a full-throttle wine.  It is potent, powerful and massive on the palate, a real show-piece.  The 2005 is rather potent.  You may well find this thrilling.  Or not.  

Syrahs are, of course, a main attraction at Alban.  There are several.  We have a rather nice Central Coast bottling, a wine that nicely captures the 'soul' of Syrah and really tips its cap to Syrah from the Northern Rhone.  The 2005 is in stock and quite good.

Their "Reva" has been the flagship, except the ship is quite small and there's not much to go around.  This is one of those limited bottlings sold only to "good customers."  

Another bottling is named after Mrs. Alban, Lorraine.  It is even more limited.  Then they make something like two bottles of a wine named after John's father, Seymour Alban.  Well, frankly, we'd like to see-more Alban wines around here, but when you make only enough for your closest friends and family, the thought of actually selling some bottles is pretty frightening.  These two bottlings are examples of "pushing the envelope" and they are the sort of wines for wine-tastings but are a bit much on the dinner table.

I was at a dinner event with a winemaker from France and a bunch of Bay Area wine people.  Someone brought one of these whiz-bang bottles of Alban Syrah.  If you are impressed by how much a wine can stain your teeth more than you are by its character, then you will probably appreciate these latter two wines.  They are wines to admire for their power and strength, but drinking more than a sip may prove challenging to some.

Currently available:  2005 Central Coast Viognier $21.99
2003 "Reva" Syrah Sold Out
2005 Estate Viognier $44.99
2005 Central Coast Syrah $44.99




PELERIN

This is a little "Mom & Pop" producer in Monterey.  "Pop" labored, once upon a time, for the Newton winery in Napa before moving to Monterey and working at the Morgan winery.

The word "Pelerin" is French and it's not the name of either of the principals.  Instead it's a word for "pilgrim" and Chris and Cathy Weidemann are on a nice little pilgrimage to make great wines from Monterey County fruit, with the Santa Lucia Highlands as the focal point.

The early wines I tasted from this producer were pleasant, but not compelling enough to bring in to the shop.  I tasted a number of wines recently and found them to be rather nice and certainly improved, so this is a label to watch.

We have some half-bottles of a 2004 Syrah.  It comes from two vineyards, one in the relatively warm Arroyo Seco area and one from the cooler Santa Lucia Highlands.  The wine actually does a nice balancing act, showing ripe plum and blueberry with hints of spice from the cooler climate portion.

Currently in stock:  2004 Pelerin Monterey Syrah $14.99 (375ml bottles)

MEYER FAMILY

You may not know the Meyer name or associate it with Syrah, but the late patriarch of the family was a real pioneer in Napa Valley winemaking.  He established a little winery in the 1970s which featured Cabernet Sauvignon exclusively and, today, it's one of the most popular of all west coast Cabernets.

Justin Meyer was a novice in the Christian Brothers many years ago, learning the wine business from various fellows there, including the famous winemaker, Brother Timothy.  Meyer was supposed to become the manager of the business, but he had other ideas and left the brotherhood, got married and started a little Cabernet production called "Silver Oak."  

Meyer was also involved with another winery called Franciscan, where they made a range of wines.  But his real goal was to make one wine and make it the best they could.  His notion was not to make a wine which required 20 years of cellaring, but to produce something very drinkable upon release.  Hence, his idea for Silver Oak was to have a wine which had spent plenty of time in wood and then got a nice bit of bottle aging before it was sold.  

Well, he and partner Ray Duncan built one hell of a mouse-trap with Silver Oak, but Meyer saw his family would need its own business because there were too many Meyers and Duncans to co-exist at Silver Oak.  

A fan of Port, he bought all sorts of port-styled wines in bulk.  These he matured further in wood and blended to create "Meyer Family Port."

The Meyer Family winery, located in Mendocino, features "port," still today, but they make a nice little red wine of Syrah.

It's not a wine which will recall great Rhone Syrahs, because the style of the wine is, to our taste, more woodsy and nicely oaked.  

We still have some of their 2002 vintage, a wine made from Sonoma County grapes.  Future bottlings will probably be sourced "closer to home" in Mendocino.

Currently in stock:  2002 MEYER FAMILY Sonoma SYRAH  $24.99

SURH LUCHTEL

Some people, we imagine, might think the name of this little winemaking enterprise is more reminiscent of a French telecom outfit than of a winery.  Two former college pals have, over the years, found they have numerous common interests, amongst them, wine.

They started a few years ago and today they're producing dozens and dozens of bottles of wine!  The tasting room at a winery such as Beringer's probably pours more wine in a day than these guys make.  Well...practically.

We've been enchanted with their Cabernets, but found the first Surh Luchtel Syrah to be exceptional.  The fruit comes from the Page Nord vineyard in Yountville.  Maybe you have seen this name on Siduri's Syrah label, Novy.  

Surh Luchtel does a cold soak with the fruit...after two days of cold soaking, they warm up the juice and fermentation commences.  It takes nearly two weeks to ferment and they do a secondary, malolactic fermentation in barrel.  It's been matured for about 20 months in French oak, half the cooperage being new.  We like the blackberry and blueberry fruit notes in the wine, along with the hint of spice.  It's got a nice, sweet note from the oak.  We find it quite drinkable now.  Maybe it will cellar nicely, but it's probably too attractive now to worry about how it's going to taste in five years.  

 

Currently in stock:  2002 SURH LUCHTEL Napa "Page Nord" SYRAH Sold Out

RELIC

This new label is the work of Michael Hirby and Schatzi Throckmorton.  He worked as a waiter in a wine bar in Colorado a few years ago before moving to California wine country.  He was affiliated with Behrens & Hitchcock where he encountered Ms. Throckmorton.  Together they have this little "Relic" project, a small effort featuring Syrah and Pinot Noir.  They prefer the minimalist's approach to winemaking.  I gather they are attempting to capture as much "terroir" in their wines as possible.  Hence they prefer native yeast fermentations, minimal handling in the cellar, no filtration, etc.  

We tasted their 2003 Relic Syrah from the Alder Springs vineyard in Mendocino.  Total production was all of 110 cases.  They'd have made more had the berries been bigger, by Michael describes the grapes as "the size of peas."  We love the hints of violets and sweet spices in this wine.  I suppose four of the five barrels were brand new and contribute a sweet vanillin and cedar tone.  Despite its youth, the wine is quite drinkable.  Dangerously so.  

Currently in stock:  2003 RELIC "Alder Springs" SYRAH Sold Out




RED CAR

Red Car is all about stories.  
It's the work of a couple of guys with Hollywood backgrounds.  Screenwriter Mark Estrin teamed with movie mogul Carroll Kemp to produce small quantities of Syrah and Pinot Noir.  Kemp had been suggesting they team up in a winemaking project, since they both enjoyed a good glass of vino.  Estrin had resisted this proposition until he received a fortune cookie message saying "The venture you are thinking about will bring you wealth and fame."  That proved to be the impetus for Estrin to accept Kemp's invitation.

They bought barrels and grapes and started making wines at a custom-crushing facility in Santa Maria.  The wines have garnered a modest amount of "buzz" amongst wine geeks and critics.  

Sadly, Mark Estrin died in the Spring of 2005, so who knows what direction this enterprise will take.  

We had tasted a nice, lavishly-oaked, international-styled Syrah from Red Car, a wine dubbed "All Night Radio."   They have been sourcing fruit from good vineyards up and down California's coast, so it's not surprising they're able to make some pretty wines.

The current release is called "Shake Rattle & Roll" and it's a liqueur-like rendition of Syrah.  It's one of those wines which sends old-timers into apoplexy.   Today's Generation-Somethings-or-Other seem to embrace this sort of huge, deeply-colored, intensely fruity, over-the-top Syrah.  Five vineyards of Syrah and a drop of Grenache from another vineyard account for this wine.

Production is limited, of course.  These are available only to walk-in customers.

Currently in stock: 
2005 RED CAR "Shake Rattle & Roll" California Syrah $55.99

WOOD FAMILY

The Livermore Valley, once upon a time, was an elite location for grape-growing and winemaking.  With leading producers such as Wente and Concannon having dropped the ball, for the most part, the region lost its toe-hold on its reputation as a major viticultural area.

Now, with the San Francisco Bay Area spreading out, housing is supplanting agriculture.  Still, there has been a modest increase in the number of wineries over the past decade.

One of the shining stars is the Wood Family winery.  You may have heard about small, start-ups in Bordeaux who are known as "garagistes."  These are vintners whose wines are vinified in something other than a grandiose château.  

Well, the Wood Family facility is a real garagiste winery!

 

 

The grapes come from a very old vineyard site, though the vines are not ancient.  "Ruby Hill" was a very famous vineyard and winery...today the name is more associated with a golf course than wine.

 

Winemaker Rhonda Wood gets a small quantity of Syrah from the Madden Ranch.  That would be former National Football League, Oakland Raiders' coach John Madden (and his son, Mike).  The fruit is reminiscent of dark berries...blackberry and blueberry...with a nice touch of spice and a woodsy tone.   It's not going to remind you, particularly, of Northern Rhône Syrahs, but it's a good wine in any case.

 

Currently in stock:  2003 WOOD FAMILY "Livermore Valley" Madden Ranch SYRAH $21.99

 

 

EAGLEPOINT RANCH

This Mendocino County property was originally purchased by the Scharffenberger family and today it's run by John Scharffenberger and Casey Hartlip.  The property is massive, but they have only a tiny percentage of it planted to grapes.  Most of the fruit is sold to other winemakers, including Sean Thackrey, Rosenblum and Wells Guthrie (Copain), for example.  

A small amount of fruit is retained for the Eaglepoint Ranch winery label.

We've periodically carried their Syrah and it's usually one of the more sensibly-priced wines in this category.

The 2005 is quite a good bottle of red wine.  You won't find it to be a hugely powerful, gobs 'o fruit-kind-of-wine.  It's a nicely-balanced, medium-bodied, lightly oaked red.

Currently in stock:  2005 EAGLEPOINT RANCH Mendocino SYRAH  $15.99

RIVER RUN

Hollister is not known for making earth-shaking wines, so when I found a fantastically good Grenache which reminded me of favorite Southern Rhône reds, I wondered if anybody else would share my enthusiasm.

Wine geeks will pay silly sums of money for prestigious wines, so we don't expect any "collectors" to be on the hunt for a River Run Grenache.  This wine was made by a fellow who's not a show-man and he's not sending samples to various wine critics in hopes of garnering a 95 point rating.  The wine isn't going to 'score' well, since it's not slightly sweet, it doesn't have 16% alcohol and it's not been clubbed with a two-by-four.  Oh, and it doesn't wear a $40 price tag.  Those, these days, are 'signs' of quality.  

 

What struck me about this wine is its Grenache intensity.  It's from the Cienega Valley and old-timers (perhaps dinosaurs to you) knew Grenache as a great grape for making rosé.  The Almaden winery, having vineyards galore in San Benito County, made a fortune selling Grenache Rosé.  These vines are so old, River Run is lucky if they get two tons off this parcel.  The resulting wine is made using "low tech" and traditional methods and winemaker J.P. Pawloski captured the sort of spice and berry notes we like in Southern Rhônes such as those from Cairanne, Rasteau or Vacqueyras.  Less than 60 cases were made.

As noted earlier, the wine sells for a reasonable price and is offered in the same range as some of our bargain Southern Rhône reds.

 

Currently in stock:  2004 RIVER RUN "Cienega Valley" GRENACHE  Sold Out

POINT CONCEPCIÓN

Winegrower Peter Cargasacchi is of Italian heritage and the first in the family to be American-born, but not the first to make wine here.  

He and his wife, Julia, started this Point Concepción label a few years ago with the goal of making "food-friendly" wines.  This may seem a bit simplistic, but there are many wines made today which will steam-roller your palate with huge levels of extract, alcohol, oak and, sometimes, even a bit of sugar.  These wines often get lavish praise and high numerical scores from various wine writers, but "wine tasting" is a different endeavor from "wine drinking."

The Cargasacchis want to make wine for "drinking," rather than making wines for tastings.

We found a lovely little Syrah from the 2003 vintage which we like.  It's not a blockbuster red wine and probably won't win a blind-tasting.  But it seems to perform nicely on the dinner table!  Medium-bodied and showing nice berry fruit and a whiff of an herbal tone, this is a nice accompaniment to a pork roast or grilled pork chops.  It'll also pair well with grilled or roasted chicken.  

Currently in stock:  2003 POINT CONCEPCIÓN Santa Barbara SYRAH  $16.99

CARICA

The Kick Ranch is located in Sonoma's Rincon Valley.  This site you'll find on the Sonoma side of Spring Mountain.

Grower Dick Keenan cultivates Syrah and Sauvignon Blanc and seems to do a fine job with both.  We're big fans of the Carica Sauvignon and we really like the Syrah he grows.

The name "carica," by the way, refers to the fig trees on the property, known in Latin as Ficus carica.

The winemaker is Charles Dollbaum, a biotech doc in real life,  and he's really done a nice job in capturing the berry and spice notes of Syrah.   A significant percentage of the fruit was whole-berry fermented after a 48 hour cold soak.  The wine was aged for a bit more than a year in both French and American oak.  We like the hints of hickory, bacony elements on the nose and palate.  There's a nice spice note here, too.  The tannins are not obtrusive, so the wine is very drinkable now, especially with braised lamb shanks or grilled/roasted red meats.  

They made all of 124 cases.

Currently in stock:  2005 CARICA Sonoma County "Kick Ranch" SYRAH  $39.99

 

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Last modified: April 22, 2008