by Laura Ness - HerVineNess on March 26, 2011
Fittingly, the First Annual “Que Syrah” event, a celebration of cool climate Syrahs from the Santa Lucia Highlands, was blessed with
plenty of cool weather. Snow, sleet, hail, rain and chilly winds greeted the 200 some attendees at the sold out tasting held at Wrath Winery in Soledad.
Not only did th
ey have some of the finest cool climate Syrahs California has to offer, but they were treated to some truly fine food. Let’s just say that Chef Brian Overhauser of Hahn Estates knows his way around a bottle of Syrah as well as he knows his way around a kitchen.
The beef cheek sliders with the frisee and radicchio salad (provided by Emily Lyons of Royal Rose Radicchio), was dressed to the nines, and was dead on with the richer styles of Syrah, like Novvy, Paraiso and Antiqus, while the five-spice roast pork belly crostini showed off the peppery prowess of wines like Boekenoogen, Manzoni (Dave Coventry and Mark Manzoni, below left), Big Basin Vineyards and Pelerin (Chris Weideman of Pelerin, below. right).
The sea bass with Syrah reduction and broccoli beurre blanc (insanely good, but a lot of work), was nicely suited to Hahn, Wrath and Morgan’s renderings.
The three rave faves for me were the 2010 Wrath tank/neutral barrel sample of totally “naked” Syrah (winemaker Sabrine Rodems, left), about to be bottled and released in May, the 2007 Pelerin with a 1% co-ferment of viognier (gorgeous aromatics) and the Double L from Morgan (that’s Kristina Banks of Morgan, below, left), solid and stately. The 2009 Fairview from Wrath shows peppery promise, and the 08 Fairview from Big Basin made a big impression on those who like Syrah big and bodacious. Syrah is indeed, a wine for cold weather, a wine for hearty food and a wine for the hearty souls who embrace with stalwart grace what nature dishes out.
Organizer Michael Thomas of Wrath said that event proceeds would be donated to the Japan disaster relief fund, which is fitting, as the Japanese seem, too, to deal with the hand dealt them with a good deal of calm, steely resolve.
Tagged as:
Big Basin Vineyards,
Brian Overhauser,
Dave Coventry,
Hahn,
Japan disaster fund,
Manzoni,
Michael Thomas,
Morgan,
Novvy,
Paraiso,
Pelerin,
Que Syrah,
Royal Rose radicchio,
Sabrine Rodems,
Santa Lucia Highlands,
syrah,
Wrath
by Laura Ness - HerVineNess on March 11, 2011
Que Syrah? How Do I Love Thee? March 19th at Wrath in Soledad The wine press is abuzz with Syrah of late: some want to nail the coffin shut, and let Grenache run away with the Rhône crown. Others are investing in its future, like Bob Lundquist of Qupé, or, more locally, in Monterey County, there’s Michael Thomas, whose steady hand has the good ship Wrath on a solid path. Or, in sailing parlance, on an even keel. I for one, love Syrah, and there’s nothing as rewarding as a swig of well-crafted, tar and ink, salt and pepper and meaty leather: Syrah, I love your heart of darkness.
If you, too, love Syrah, get your booty over to Wrath next Saturday, March 19, for the first ever focused tasting of cool-climate Syrahs from the Santa Lucia Highlands (SLH). From noon til 4:30, you can plumb its depths and climb its heights, from producers including Big Basin Vineyards, Boekenoogen, Hahn, Manzoni, Miura, Morgan, Novy, Paraiso, Pelerin, Pessagno and Wrath.\
One of the most distinctive vineyards in the Santa Lucia Highlands is Fairview Road Ranch, a source of super-spicy syrah for Big Basin Vineyards, a Santa Cruz Mountains producer of [...]
Tagged as:
Big Basin Vineyards,
Boekenoogen,
Hahn,
Monterey,
Morgan,
Paraiso,
Que Syrah,
Rhone,
Santa Lucia Highlands,
syrah,
Wrath
by Laura Ness - HerVineNess on February 24, 2011
Saturday, Feb 26, I’ll be at Pinot Summit in San Francisco, where 64 mostly amazing pinots from 56 appellations will be presented, along with excellent seminars, for your oenophile erudition. Blind tasting such a vast spectrum of wines can be daunting: at least you know that for the most part, they’re well-made wines, having made the cut from an original headcount of 240. It’s like the Oscars of pinot noirs, filled with sexy, seductive stars. However, fashion is not the focal point here. Instead, said stars are all wearing aluminum foil and color coded for reference. The unveiling is half the fun: the other half is trying to decide which are your faves.
The event starts at 1130am on Saturday, with a series of workshops, including one led by Sid Sall on New World pinots from Central Otago and Marlborough, New Zealand, the Extreme Sonoma Coast, and Williamette Valley. Or you could explore oak influence with Panelists: Coby Parker-Garcia, Winemaker, Claiborne & Churchill; and Fintan du Fresne, Winemaker, Chamisal Vineyards.
Another intriguing topic is Winemaking 101, with Panelists: Greg Freeman, Assistant Winemaker, Hahn Family Wines; Steve McIntyre, Winegrower/Winemaker, McIntyre Vineyards; Patrick Murray, Winemaker, PARO Wines.
Blind tasting goes from noon til [...]
Tagged as:
Barb Drady,
Chalone Vineyard,
Chamisal,
Claiborne & Churchill,
Dick Graff,
Earthquake Cabernet,
McIntyre Vineyards,
Michael David,
PARO,
Phil Woodward,
Pinot Noir,
pinot summit,
Santa Lucia Highlands,
Sid Sall,
Talisman,
vine hill,
Waterstone Cabernet,
Woodward-Graff Foundation
by Laura Ness - HerVineNess on January 26, 2011
Reggie Hammond is a smart cookie and he’s not going to let the encumbrances of stuff like owning a winery, a vineyard or a tasting room get in the way of making good wine at a reasonable price. He prefers low overhead so he can deliver value in every sense of the word.
For 13 years, he made wines that earned Ventana Winery of Monterey, CA, medals for nearly every wine in every competition they ever entered. He learned from brilliant viticulture pioneer, Doug Meador, how the vineyard makes the wine, and Reggie certainly made a lasting and earnest peace with the vineyards he was dealt. Reggie is not one to complain: he rolls with it and makes the absolute best of everything, with no whining. You have to love that about him. His wines have always been consistently even-tempered and congenial, like the man himself.
So, when Ventana went up for sale a few years back, can you blame him for snagging some good fruit and creating his own label as a backup plan? Turns out he didn’t need to segue to Hammond Vineyards immediately: he had a couple of years leeway, during which he packed away a couple of vintages [...]
Tagged as:
doug Meador,
Hammond Vineyards,
Monterey,
Pinot Noir,
Reggie Hammond,
River Road,
Salinas,
Santa Lucia Highlands,
Valentine's Passport,
Ventana
by Laura Ness - HerVineNess on October 23, 2010
It was a glorious, foggy-cool, mid-October morning at the 40-acre McIntyre Vineyard in the Santa Lucia Highlands. A hint of leftover warmth from the recently expired heat wave hung in the still, chill air. Harvest was amped up to high speed and the crews were weary from multiple instances of overnight picking. Trucks raced up and down the road and low-flying planes accentuated the frenetic activity that defines this exhilarating, exhausting time of year.
Grower, viticulturist, sustainable Ag expert and winemaker Steve McIntyre, had the look of BJ or Hawkeye on “M.A.S.H.,” hopeful and upbeat, yet slightly apprehensive about the grapes that were still hanging. Occupied by thoughts of the potential heat of the impending afternoon and on the looming prospect of a weekend rain, “Dr. Vine” glanced at his constantly ringing cell phone, as the sun slowly made a dent in the marine layer, the gold-hued vines reflecting its touch. READ THE REST HERE
Tagged as:
McIntyre Vineyards,
Monterey Pacific,
Santa Lucia Highlands,
sparkling
