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next 5-6 years. www.mitchella. opulent and voluptuous, it is a com • 2012 Epiphany “Revela- hedonistic to enjoy over tion” the next 7 to 8 years. www.mor- • 2012 Carica Syrah Jem- A blend of mostly Syrah and ganwinery.com rose with a touch of Petite I love to see our East Bay Sirah this is one of the brands of • 2013 Stolpman Originals thriving and Alameda’s the Fess Parker in the Syrah Carica has once again Santa Maria area. Dense black This was my frst introduc- America’s greatest Rhone wines made a stellar Syrah. It shows color is accompanied by massive tion to this Lompoc, CA based lovely foral aromas of violets winery and it is doing an impres- By Pierra DuMont bursting with dark berry fruit and roses that merge on the sive job. The ’s opulent ar- favors, earth and spice. The fn- They’re back in the sad- palate with blackberry, cassis omatics jumped out of the glass ish is intense and drawn and plum fruit favors. It has a (blackberry liqueur, honeysuck- dle again. The Rhone Rangers out. The beautiful wine will is a trade organization of Cal- good amount of tannin and will le, truffes, and a bit of bacon) last for decades in the cellar. improve with time in the cellar Full bodied on the palate with ifornia wineries that feature www.qupe.com wines made from the of lasting up to twenty years. www. great intensity and purity. This caricawines.com is a winery to watch. www.stolp- France’s Rhone region – Syrah, • 2012 Pax Syrah Castel- Petite Sirah, Grenache, Cari- manvineyards.com li-Knight Ranch • 2013 Halter Ranch “CDP” gnan, Mourvedre for red wines; Pax Mahle has gained a rep- , , , The “CDP” name must be • 2012 Sierra Vista Syrah utation as an extremely talented a reference to Chateauneuf Ancient Vine Reserve for whites. Ev- vintner of Rhone varieties. The ery year they put on a huge tast- du Pape the most famous of The perfect touch of gives wine shows a succulent nose of France’s Rhone wines. And it’s a a lovely vanilla scent to the nose. ing in San Francisco where you blackberries, leather, tar and can sample some of the most pretty good approximation with Inky purple in color it possesses earth and accompanies a huge a little more fruit and a little less excellent blueberry fruit inter- innovative, cutting edge wines mouthful of dark berry fruit. in California. For those getting earth and tobacco. They add 6% mixed with licorice and earth This highly extracted wine is Tannat to the typical blend of characteristics. Moderately tan- tired of Cabernet, and one of the “biggest” I , these wines are a Grenache, Syrah and Mourve- nin, full bodied and concentrat- have ever tasted yet it is in no dre which gives more body and ed it should have many years treat. They are also often better way jammy or tiring on the pal- Andrew Murray produces a dead values than California’s more fa- strength. Great balance and ringer for France’s Cote Rotie. ahead of it. www.sierravistawin- ate. Bottled unfned and unfl- structure and a long, compelling ery.com mous . tered this Hermitage-like wine It’s always hard to decide be- fnish make this a great candi- is not for the timid. Splendid. date for pairing with a good rib- favors of blue and black fruits, • 2013 Austin Hope Gren- tween the hundreds of fne wines www.paxmahlewines.com presented at the tasting, eye steak. www.halterranch.com spice, fowers and earthy under- ache but this year the following tones. Full-bodied and rich with I have always admired Aus- • 2011 Four Brix “Rhonde- • 2012 Caliza “Azimuth” sweet tannin, this wine should tin Hope’s Grenache but almost wines really stood out among the vous” crowd. They truly represent Composed of 36% Mourve- last for decades. www.epiphany- missed the wine this year. They An outstanding Rhone blend dre, 34% Grenache and 30% cellars.com have changed the label and the America’s greatest Rhone this wine is made from Syrah, wines. So in no particular order, Syrah and as with most blends, new “colorful” one, according Grenache, and Mourvedre. the result is a more interesting, • 2013 Summerwood “Dio- to the back label, was painted the Piedmont Post gives its high- Complex nose of olives, meat, est recommendation to: complex wine than if either sa” by an elephant in Thailand. I am were bottled by itself. Summerwood is a very high not kidding. What matters is that • 2014 Andrew Murray Aromas of cherries, perfume and quality Paso Robles producer the wine is still excellent. A he- “Roasted Slope” oak on the nose. Medium-bod- and this wine shows why Paso donistic mouthful of bright cher- Andrew Murray has long ied with luscious mouthful of Robles has become the premier ry fruit with a nice spicy touch. been one of California’s greatest berry fruit and a long lingering area in the US for Rhone style Crank up the BBQ. www. aus- producers of high quality Syrah. fnish. Ready to drink now, this wines. The high 16% alcohol tinhopewines.com The name of this wine comes wine would be great with grilled is hidden by a massive body of from France’s Cote Rotie region chicken. www.calizawinery.com blueberry and plum fruit with • 2014 Hearst Ranch “Ran- where Syrah is king and it is layers of earth and mineral dolph” remarkably similar to its name- • 2014 Adelaida “Anna’s notes. It is huge and full in the Though not technically a sake. The beautifully perfumed White” mouth with a long intense fn- Rhone wine this unusual, in- nose hints at the blending in of An interesting mixture ish. Drink this big beauty with triguing blend was outstanding. some Viognier for foral notes. of Roussanne, Viognier and grilled lamb or beef. www.sum- Made of , Petit Ver- The wine is full bodied but not Picpoul this was one of the fnest merwoodwine.com dot and Zinfandel it is named overblown with great struc- white wines of the RR tasting. It in honor of William Randolph ture and layers of blackberry has a lovely nose of peaches and • 2013 Wrath Syrah Doc- Hearst and made from Paso Ro- and plum fruit. While the wine apricots with good supple fruit tor’s Vineyard bles grapes. It is bursting with drinks beautifully now it also on the palate backed up by plen- This wine is a chocolaty, dark berry fruit and a hint of has the structure to last for two ty of acid to keep it from being earthy effort revealing a sad- spicebox and a smooth, satisfy- decades in the cellar. www.an- Pull CdR is an inexpensive too cloying. A refreshingly dif- dle-leather scent, full-bodied ing fnish. Would make a great drewmurrayvineyards.com California Cote du Rhone style ferent alternative to Chardonnay favors and an exuberant, typi- partner to roast chicken. www. wine that was the tasting’s greatest or . www.ade- cally California personality with hearsthranchwinery.com • 2012 Pull “CdR” (Best value. laida.com. its up-front fruit and precocious Value) personality. Still, it has enough • 2014 Westwood Counoise This is an attempt to replicate • 2013 Seven Oxen Gren- tannins to allow for moderate Gotta love it when a winery and pepper. Blackberry fruit, ache aging. A beautiful example of takes a chance on a basically France’s working man’s wine – vanilla oak and earth on the pal- Cotes Du Rhone, and they have Grenache is an interesting Santa Lucia Highlands Syrah. unheard of grape. Counoise is ate. The huge fruit is balanced grape that falls some- www.wrathwines.com a minor French variety and one succeeded remarkably. This is with good acidity and structure, the kind of wine the world needs where between and of the 13 grapes that can go into and while delicious now it will Syrah in color and intensity. • 2014 Leverage “Tragecto- Chateauneuf du Pape. A good more of. Robust fruity nose of last for fve to eight years. www. cherries and plums with medi- It is often used for blending in ry” lashing of new French oak gives fourbrixwines.com France, but as this wine shows This is a rich Grenache, a sweet vanilla aroma to go with um bodied fruit on the palate and a bright clean fnish. It is a it can be great on its own. This Syrah, Mourvedre blend from the blueberry and plum fruit. • 2014 Skinner Mourvedre Paso Robles wine has a lovely Paso Robles. It has the typical It is medium bodied with great straightforward well-made wine I have written about this El at a great price. The perfect ac- cherry fruit nose and soft lush Paso ripe fruit nose of plums structure and balance. A great Dorado County wine before, as fruit on the palate with the per- and raisins followed by gobs of effort. www.westwoodwine.com companiment to this summer’s it is a consistently good example barbeques. Produced by Broken fect touch of vanilla oak. This dense, sweet fruit on the palate of Mourvedre. The nose has a wine should drink well for the with just a touch of spice and • 2014 Brecon Mourvedre Earth Winery in Paso Robles. mixture of strawberries and rich www.pullwines.com next 5 years. www.sevenoxen. earth. This full-bodied wine will This Paso Robles winery earth. It is medium bodied on com improve with a few years of cel- was new to me so I was delight- the palate with cherry fruit and laring. www.leveragewines.com ed to fnd another high quality • 2012 Qupe Syrah Saw- some spice notes. Clean and pure yer-Lindquist Vineyard “Son- • 2013 Cass “Barefoot Mourvedre producer. This bot- on the fnish. Great BBQ wine. Syrah” • 2014 Morgan Syrah Dou- tle has the kind of wild, gamey nies” www.skinnervineyards.com Bob Lindquist is one of the Impressively Hermitage-like ble L Vineyard favors the French call “animal” in its proportions, restraint, and While the Santa Lucia High- that are characteristic of the true pioneer Rhone Rangers. He • 2012 Mitchella Syrah has been crafting intense earthiness and miner- lands is usually thought of as grape. It has notes of tobacco This wine boasts a dense ality. An opaque, purple col- Pinot Noir territory, this bottle and rich earth along with the magnifcent Syrahs for two ruby/purple color in addition to decades from the Edna Valley or is accompanied by scents of shows it is also perfect for grow- berry fruit. Reminds me on a deep, chewy blackberry fruit ground pepper, espresso, and ing Syrah. This opaque, purple nice Bandol from the south of region. This wine is no mixed with fowers and loamy, exception. It has a huge per- dark fruits. This massive tight colored offering is a wine of tre- France. www.breconestate.com earthy notes. Dense and supple wine could use 5 years of aging mendous intensity as well as a fumed nose of violets and cher- with sweet tannin, it will pro- ries and in the mouth it is to bring out its potential and will big, smoky blackberry scented vide delicious drinking over the cellar well for many years. nose with hints of anise. Dense,