WTN: Some Qupe Syrahs/Take II...(very long/boring)

We tasted tonight (10/28/09) the New Qupe Syrahs:
1. Qupe CentralCoast Syrah (12.5%) 1995: Med.light slight bricking color; attractive pencilly/cedary/old-
Zin-like slight Rhonish/funky very slight brett/horsecollar some old Syrah fairly complex nose; delicate/
light old-Zin/old Syrah/pencilly/cedary slight blackberry bit bretty/horsecollar/Rhonish slight metallic
complex flavor; med. some earthy/dusty/Rhonish/horsecollar some pencilly/cedary/old Syrah elegant/smooth
fairly complex finish w/ no tannins; still very much alive and a pleasure to drink. $14.30
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2. Qupe CentralCoast Syrah (13.3%) 1996: Med.light slight bricking color; some old-Zin-like/old-Syrah/
cedary/pencilly bit more blackberry/Syrah clean/no-brett subdued/attractive complex nose; tart slight
bright/blueberry/Syrah slight metallic cedary/pencilly/old-Zin some complex flavor; med.long light/
elegant pencilly/cedary/old Syrah/old-Zin-like complex finish w/little tannins; more fruit and no brett
compared to the '95 but not quite as interesting; attractive old red. $15.00
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2a. Qupe Syrah CentralCoast (13.5%) 2007: Med.dark color; some bretty/horsecollar clears somewhat to low-
key/blackberry/Syrah bit licorice/pungent some SouthernRhone/funky interesting nose; tart bit lean/tight
some bretty/funky/horsecollar/Rhonish pleasant licorice/blackberry/Syrah slight metallic/tannic/hard
pleasant flavor; med. tart/lean bit hard/tannic/tight some bretty/horsecollar/Rhonish/funky finish;
some brett but not out of hand; seems a bit tight/hard and needs a yr or two. $19.00
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3. Qupe Syrah SBC (14.2%) 2006: Dark color; strong blackberry/Syrah rather spicy slight alcoholic attractive
straightforward Syrah nose; tart very attractive Syrah/blackberry/spicy restrained very light oak
pleasant flavor; fairly spicy blackberry/Syrah tart attractive finish w/ light tannins; a step up from
the CC Syrah and an attractive spicy/blackberry character; fairly priced at $20.00
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4. Ethan Syrah CuveeLosAlamos/SBC (150 cs; 14.5%) 2007: Dark color; very attractive blackberry/Syrah/
blueberry quite spicy rather perfumed/fragrant nose; softer rather picy/blueberry/blackberry/Syrah
light oak flavor; fairly lng blueberry/blackberry/Syrah quite spicy light oak finish w/ modest tannins;
a pleasant 4-square Syrah at a good price. $25.00
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5. Ethan Syrah RanchoSantaRosaVnyd/Sta.RitaHills (100 cs; 13%) 2006: Dark color; some smokey/oak bit Rhonish/
black pepper spicy strong blackberry/Syrah lovely nose; tart rather cracked black pepper/cold-climate/
bit Rhonish strong blackberry/Syrah/spicy light toasty/oak flavor; long very tart black pepper/Rhonish
very spicy/blackberry/Syrah finish w/ some tannins; needs several yrs of age; a very good Syrah and
my favorite of the Ethans. $40.00
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6. Ethan Syrah PurisimaMtnVnyd/SantaYnezVlly (75 cs; 14.5%) 2006: Dark color; very strong blackberry/
boysenberry/Syrah light toasty/oak big Syrah fruit slight earthy nose; softer strong boysenberry/
blackberry/Syrah light toasty/oak bit spicy/earthy flavor; long bit softer balanced/lush blackberry/
boysenberry/Syrah light toasty/oak finish w/ some tannins; needs several yrs; loads of lush/ripe
Syrah fruit. $40.00
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7. Qupe Syrah NielsonVnyd/SantaMariaVlly (14.8%) 2006: Very dark color; very strong blackberry/Syrah plummy/
blueberry/black cherry quite spicy bit earthy nose; tart strong black cherry/blackberry/cola/Syrah slight
earthy/plummy quite spicy elegant/balanced flavor; very long tart/racy spicy/black cherry/blackberry/
Syrah finish w/ some tannins; the black cherry component resembles what I often find in the BienNacido
Syrah; a lovely/balanced/spicy Syrah. $35.00
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8. Qupe Syrah StolpmanVnyd/SantaYnezVlly (14.6%) 2006: Very dark color; very bright/strawberry/blueberry/Syrah
vibrant/floral/perfumed lovely aromatic nose; softer bright/vibrant floral/strawberry/Syrah bit tannic/
tight/backward flavor; very long bright/floral/strawberry/blueberry/Syrah some tannic/tight finish; lovely
floral/strawberry/violets aromatics bit like NorthernRhone w/o the roasted character; needs age. $35.00
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9. Qupe Syrah AlisosVnyd/SBC (14.6%) 2006: Dark color; strong blackberry/Syrah slight peppery quite spicy
fragrant nose; tarter some tannic/hard/tight peppery/blackberry/Syrah bit more structured quite spicy
flavor; long bit peppery strong blackberry/Syrah rather hard/tannic/tight structured finish; needs more
age but should be a good one. $35.00
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10. Qupe Syrah PurisimaMtnVnyd/SantaYnezVlly (13.9%) 2006: Dark color; very strong blueberry/blackberry/Syrah
licorice/boysenberry bit smokey/pungent very lush/big Syrah fruit nose; softer big/ripe/lush blackberry/
Syrah/boysenberry ripe slight smokey/pungent flavor; very long softer lush/boysenberry/blackberry/Syrah
big fruit bit smokey/pungent/oak finish w/ some tannins; loads of lush/ripe Syrah fruit; needs age. $35.00
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11. Qupe Syrah BienNacidoVnyd/SantaMariaVlly (14.0%) 2007: Dark color; strong blackberry/Syrah/spicy/black
cherry/cola slight menthol/spicy lovely nose; slightly tart black cherry/cola/blackberry/Syrah quite spicy
light tannic/oak balanced/restrained slight menthol flavor; long spicy/black cherry/cola/blackberry/Syrah
slight menthol finish w/ modest tannins; classic BN black cherry character; seems a bit tight & closed
and needs more age. $25.00
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12. Qupe Syrah BienNacidoHillsideEstate (EB; 14.5%) 2005: Very dark color; intense blackberry/Syrah some
roasted/Rhonish/smokey/pungent/coffee some smokey/pungent/toasty/oak fairly complex aromatic nose; tart
lovely smokey/Rhonish/coffee some pungent/toasty/oak rather tannic very strong blackberry/blueberry/
Syrah complex flavor; very long/lingering very strong blackberry/blueberry/Syrah some toasty/oak rather
Rhonish/roasted/coffee fairly tannic finish; needs much age; lots of Rhonish character; terrific Calif
Syrah. Fairly priced at $45.00
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13. Qupe Syrah BienNacidoHillsideEstate (EB; 14.5%) 2006: Very dark color; more intense blackberry/blueberry/
Syrah some smokey/pungent/toasty/oak less complex quite aromatic nose; bit softer more lush/blackberry/
blueberry/Syrah bit smokey/toasty/charred/oak some tannic/closed quite structured flavor; very long lush/
ripe/blackberry/blueberry/Syrah some taosty/charred/oak/smokey rather tannic finish; badly needs age;
more lush Syrah fruit and less of the pungent/Rhonish character of the '05; killer Syrah with some
age. $45.00
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14. Qupe Syrah BienNacido X-Block "The Good Nacido" 25'th Anniv/25'th vintage (EB; 14.5%)
2006: Black color; more subtle/complex somewhat roasted/espresso/Rhonish some pencilly/toasty/Francois
Freres/oak restrained/floral/elegant/Syrah bit pungent/smokey complex/aromatic nose; smooth/polished/
elegant restrained spicy/blackberry/blueberry/Syrah some floral/perfumed pencilly/toasty/oak some roasted/
espresso/Rhonish/smokey balanced/elegant bit tannic flavor; very long/lingering roasted/smokey/pungent/
espresso/quite Rhonish complex/floral restrained/balanced strong blueberry/blackberry/Syrah finish w/
some tannins; a powerful perfumed Syrah w/ understated tannins and plenty of balance; an easy 10 yr,
probably 20 yr wine; lovely aromatics and Rhonish character. $100.00
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15. Melville Estate SantaYnezVlly Estate Syrah (14.5%) 2000: Very dark color; intense ripe/blackberry/
framboise some floral/perfumed bit blatent/toasty/oak attractive nose; tart bit lean/hard/drying out ripe/
framboise/blackberry/Syyrah some toasty/oak somewhat tannic/hard flavor; med.long hard/tannic/drying out
ripe/framboise/blackberry/Syrah some toasty/oak finish; some pretty aromatics but rather hard/tannic
and drying out on the palate. Larry's mystery.
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The usual stuff from TheBloodyPulpit:
1. BienNacidoVnyd: It's interesting to take a look at the BNVnyd WebSite (www.BienNacidoVineyards.com). It
contains a wealth of information...various blocks in the vnyd, what's planted in them, when they were
planted, what clones & rootstocks, all sorts of geeky stuff.
The X Block, the oldest Syrah block, was planted in '73, 14.2 acres, to Estrella clone on Geneva
DoubleCurtain, and is about the eastern-most block, planted on about a 10% slope nestled up against
the base of the hillside. The first of the HillsideEstate, the Z block, was planted in '91 & '95,
Estrella clone on VSP trellis, about 24 acres worth. Further North up the canyon is the Block 11b,
planted in '97 to Estrella and Clone 99, on VSP, almost 16 acres worth. And then there are a few other
scattered small blocks of Syrah on the vnyd.
It's interesting to do a Google.map on 4705 Santa Maria Mesa Rd, Santa Maria and take a look at the
satellite images of the vnyd. The big/white bldg mid-way up the canyon to the left of the road is the
ABC/Qupe winery. The Hillside blocks are up on the ridgetop just North and East of the wnry, but the
perspective from a gadzillion miles above makes it hard to discern the topology.
Bob thinks the X Block, being the oldest, produces the best Syrah but that eventually the Hillside
blocks, with further vine age, will surpass the X-Block. Apparently vine age trumps terrain in this case.
So....the whole story on Bob & BienNacido. X-Block 7-acres was grafted over to Syrah for Bob in '86,
with first crop coming in '87. That yr, the remaining 7 acres was grafted over to Syrah for Randall/
BonnyDoon. These two are the only wineries that have X-Block under contract. Only in '03/'04, 2 acres of
Bob's X-Block was sold to other wineries, including Summerland.
The original 5 acres of Z-Block (HillsideEstate) were planted for Bob in '92. It was added to in '93
for Ojai and Benzinger. In '95, it was added to for Jaffurs and JohnKerr. Benzinger and Kerr no longer
take from Z-Block; goes to SQN, Ambullneo, KenBrown, Bonaccorsi, and PaulLato.
The 11-Block was planted for Bob in '97; 14 acres of Syrah, 6 acres of Chard, and 6 acres of Pinot
for JimClendenan/ABC. 10-Block was in '97 w/ 5 acres Roussanne, which goes to his HillSideEstate Roussanne.
Two sections of the 11-Block go into CentralCoast, the other blended w/ X-Block to make the BienNacido
Syrah.
There is also 3 acres of Syrah in Block 17, next to the wnry, that goes into CentralCoast. The other
scattered Syrah plantings go to NicholasMiller, Sanguin, MaggieHarrison, and BonnyDoon; which are just
coming on-line.
From '87-'94, all of the X-Block went into the BienNacido Syrah. In '90, Bob started calling it his
BienNacidoReserve. In '90, he went back to the simple BienNacido (no Reserve), because he wanted the
HillsideEstate to be his reserve Syrah, which he started making in '94 from Z-Block.
Whew...things can get soooo complicated.
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2. CentralCoast Syrah: I was expecting both the '95 and the '96 to be pretty much shot. They were not. I
recall that during these vintages, Bob was adding a bit of Lodi old-vine Zin and Carignane to the CC
blend to keep the cost down. I always thought it gave the wines a bit of a funky Rhonish character and
the CC blend didn't have quite the purity of Syrah fruit that his VD Syrahs did. At any rate, both wines
spoke of old Calif red wine, maybe spoke...or whispered...of old Calif Syrah, and were still very much
alive...though more of intellectual interest than of hedonistic interest. Pretty good for a cheap btl
of Calif Syrah.
The '07 version had some brett/horsecollar character that gave it a bit of a Rhonish character.
I rather liked this wine but not sure how it's going to evolve.It seemed a bit tight and tough at this
point in time. This wine was annointed with a 79 by Parker. Seems rather on the low side to me....
but what do I know about Calif Syrah??
The first Qupe Syrah was the '82, labeled PasoRobles, and came from (formerly GaryEberle's) Estrella
RiverVnyds, out on EastSide Paso. It was a wine that drank well even 20 yrs out. This was the only
Syrah that Bob was making, and was eventually switched to the CentralCoast Syrah. He continued to get
these Syrah grapes (ERV was purchased by Beringer in '87, renamed Meridian) until about '89, plus the
Syrah grapes from Laura'sVnyd next door (owned by CliffGiacobine, now part of DerbyVnyds). In the '88-'91
time frame, Bob also got Syrah from ZacaMesaVnyd. In '87, he started getting Syrah from Ibarra-YoungVnyd
(then known as LosOlivosVnyd). He contracted w/ the Millers to plant 5 acres of Syrah in FrenchCamp/
Eastside Paso in '88, getting his first crop in '91. So Paso Syrah has always been an important part
of the CC Syrah. In the '91-'96 vintages, he started using some very good Lodi old-vine Zin and
Carignane, but it was a long way to truck grapes and more SBC Syrah became available.
Presently, the CC Syrah is about 70% SBC, the balance being from Paso; French Camp, CarriageVnyd/
Templeton, and now even Sawyer-Lindquist from EdnaVlly. The SBC vnyds include ColsonCnyn, Chabot/
LosAlamos, MesaVerde/SantaYnemaybe 15 or 20z, and LosAlamosVnyd, plus some from his single-vnyd
sources. At $17/btl, it remains one of the better Syrah bargins around.
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3. As mentioned in Take I, these two tastings were prompted by Parker's recent taking of BobLindquist to
the woodshed on the quality of his wines, given the winemaking talent. Those reviews gave scores in the
the 79-85 range, were for the unreleased '07 Syrahs, w/ this Hillside '06 getting an 89 and the X-block
'06 a 92. BobLindquist labeled the '06 and '07 vintage as quite similar and on the cool side, with his
personal favorite being the '06 vintage by a slight margin. Of these '06 Syrahs, I found them, across
the board, remarkably similar in style and quality; with the HillsideEstate '06 a bit bigger/intenser
and the X-Block a step up in intensity and extract from the other single-vnyd-designate Syrahs, which
showed more balance/elegance/finesse/less oak. But, we are assured, Parker doesn't have a "ParkerPalate"
and equally appreciates those qualities in a wine, other than alcohol/size/extract/power/oak. So those
abysymal scores for the VD Syrahs are a puzzle to me and it doesn't seem like BobLindquist belongs out
in the Parker woodshed, based on these '06 Syrahs. But he's in good company...SteveEdmunds has lived
there for over a yr now. Maybe it's a good place to be??
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4. SBC Syrah: This '06 SantaBarbaraCnty Syrah was a one-of production. Deselected barrels of SV Syrah plus
some barrels of CentralCoast Syrah...PurisimaMtn/ColsonCanyon/BienNacido. It was made originally for
Zachy's, but they didn't take it all...so some is being sold out of the Qupe/LosOlivos tasting room.
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5. EdnaVlly: On the Sawyer-Lindquist Estate in the EdnaVlly, across OrcuttRd from JohnAlban, are 40 acres
that are just coming into production for the Verdad wines (Albarino, GrenacheRose, Tempranillo). It
has 27 acres of Syrah, 6+ acres of Grenache, 3 acres Albarino, 2 acres Tempranillo, and small amount
of PinotNoir and Marsanne. Planted in '05, first crop into '08 Verdad wines. The terroir of Bob's
vnyd is (to my observation) much different from JohnAlban's across the road. It will be interesting
to see how those wines turn out, given the difference in terroir and winemaking style from JohnAlban.
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6. LosAlamosVnyds: This vnyd was planted in the late '70's, just North of LosAlamos, on the hwy to the
Vandenburg back gate (if you've ever seen a night launch from Vandenburg....it's an amazing sight to
behold. Got to see one coming back from TheHitchingPost/Casmalia w/ BobSenn one night...not sure how
much the consumed wine at HP contributed to the experience, though), by SamHale. He was a LosAngles/
SantaMinica attourney type. The wine was made in an old dairy barn there by MaryVigorosa, a slip of a
grandmotherly lady in her late 70's/early 80's, when I met her.
JimClendenan & AdamTolmach started AuBonClimat there in '82, and made their wine there until '88,
when Sam sold LAVnyds to Franzia/CorbettCanyon. It is now owned by SilveradoPartners. Bob only got
Syrah from there in '07, very good Syrah he thought, but it was grafted over to Pinot in '08. Bob, Jim,
and Adam moved into the wnry facility on BienNacidoVnyd in '89. Adam eventually left when he completed
his wnry down in Ojai.
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7. StolpmanVnyd: Way back when, when we were just starting to see Syrahs come out of the StolpmanVnyd;
I opined that I had not seen anything yet that would lead me to label Stolpman a "great" Calif Syrah
vnyd...but that I thought it had a lot of potential. TomStolpman came on-line and urged me to rethink
my position. After taking a lot more data points since that time, I guess I would not label Stolpman
a "great" Syrah. Not quite yet...but getting close.
Stolpman is one of the older Syrah vnyds in SantaYnezVlly. Farmed by JeffNewton....one of the very
best in the SYVlly. Planted primarily to Estrella and Durell clones, I believe. Just to the East of
SteveBeckman's PurisimaMtn vnyd. By and large, I really like most of the Syrahs that come from here.
They always seem to have a lot of aromatics and floral/strawberry character. That was evident, in spades,
in this Qupe version. SashiMoorman has been making some very/very good ones from this EstateVnyd under
the Stolpman label.
That said...I think maybe, down the road, Stolpman may be better known for...Nebbiolo and Sangiovese.
Time will tell.
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8. Of the standard SingleVnyd-designate/non-Reserve Syrahs; I pretty much liked them across the board, but
for different reasons. The Stolpman for its perfume & aromatics, the Purisima for its lush/ripe Syrah
fruit, the Alisos for its more classic SantaBarbara Syrah/pepper character. The BN '07 was the least
interesting of the lot, but I suspect because of its younger age and it will evolve a lot.
These S-V Syrahs are not dramatic statements of power/oak and gobs of hedonistic fruit. They are
more about balance and elegance annd restraint. The conventional Monkton wisdom is that you need gobs
of hedonistic fruit, big tannins and extraction, lots of oak to withstand the test of time. My limited
experience w/ Calif Syrah suggests that balance is an unheralded component of a wine that is necessary
for long aging. Though these wines may be underwhelming now, compared w/ some SantaBarbara Syrahs,
based on my experience w/ Qupe Syrahs, these will be wonderful/beautiful/complex Syrahs ten yrs down
the road, maybe 15 or 20. I'll be there, fer sure, to report back.
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9. HillSide Syrahs: Of these two, the '05 was my clear favorite because of its stronger Rhonish character.
The '06 seemed a bit tight and closed and clearly needs more time. Hard to tell which will be the better
down the road.
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10. X-Block: Amazing wine. A classic Qupe Syrah w/ loads of NorthernRhone character. This is how they would
make Syrah in Hermitage if Chave took lessons from Bob. Though a big/powerful Syrah, t shows a lot of
balance and elegance and polish for such a young wine. There are very few Calif Syrahs in this price range
that I would buy. Based on the Qupe track record, I'm in on this one.
Tom

[David M. Bueker]

Fantastic post Tom. Personally I would be happy to hang out in Parker's woodshed.

I didn't know that RP panned the Qupe wines of late. I guess I better dump my Qupe at auction.

I had Bob's 82 Paso syrah at the 15th anniversary retrospective dinner at the Emporium. Bob also made a Pinor Noir blanc in 82, which is really Bob's very first Qupe wine. We had that wine, too, at the Emporium.

The oldest bottle of Qupe I've had in the cellar was an 83 Central Coast. I have already consumed the 84 Qupe Napa syrah, but have a bottle of the 84 Central Coast still hanging around to stump Tom's chump at some future occasion.

I didn't know that RP panned the Qupe wines of late. I guess I better dump my Qupe at auction.

Yup....the issue before last. Rated the X-Block a 92, the '06 Hillside an 89, the rest down in the low 80's, with the '07 CC a 79.
And then commented that, given the winemaking expertise at Qupe, he was disappointed by the wines. Sorta mild-mannered criticism
and not nearly as mean-spirited as when he took SteveEdmunds to the woodshed. Despite what Parker and his minions proclaim,
I don't think he gets wines about elegance/balance/restraint that lack gobs of hedonistic fruit, alcohol, and oak. You have to be tasting
Bob's wines, year in and year out, to understand how well they age. I doubt Parker has a clue.
The '84 NapaSyrah was from JosephPhelps Vnyd. Twice the price of the EstrellaRvr stuff, and not as good.
Tom

Thanks Tom, that's a real wealth of information. A really good read.

I don't think he gets wines about elegance/balance/restraint that lack gobs of hedonistic fruit, alcohol, and oak.

I'd be curious to know more about how he tastes those wines as well, and whether he either tastes comparatively with the likes of Saxum, Alban and the other giant ooze-monsters - because there've been similar trends with more elegant Aussie wines that he's slaughtered as "tart, lean, acidic, European styled" that would be quite hard to taste clearly if tasted alongside/following such high alcohol/ripeness giants.

Thanks Tom, that's a real wealth of information. A really good read.

I don't think he gets wines about elegance/balance/restraint that lack gobs of hedonistic fruit, alcohol, and oak.

I'd be curious to know more about how he tastes those wines as well, and whether he either tastes comparatively with the likes of Saxum, Alban and the other giant ooze-monsters - because there've been similar trends with more elegant Aussie wines that he's slaughtered as "tart, lean, acidic, European styled" that would be quite hard to taste clearly if tasted alongside/following such high alcohol/ripeness giants.

Thanks for the compliment, Salil.
Guess I might quibble here w/ your characterization of Albans as "ooze-monsters". Certainly they're big & intense, but I find his Syrahs are
structured and have plenty of acid. To me, "ooze-monster" implies wines that are heaps of fruit, but lack structure/tannin and acids. But, then,
that's just my usage of the word. YMMV.
I'm pretty sure Parker didn't go taste w/ Bob at the wnry. I'm sure he would not deign to stop by the Qupe tasting room like the common folks.
I would presume he just swept into the Paso area, they solicited a bunch of wines for him to try, and that he tasted thru these hundreds of wines blind one day.
I would hope the organizers would present them in such an order that he wouldn't be trying a Qupe CentralCoast right after an AlbanPandora. But who knows
their methodology. Besides, it is claimed that Parker's tasting methodology is one such that a light/elegant/balanced wine following a huge/tannic/alcoholic/oaked
wine is not handicapped by that order. How he does that is beyond me..but that's the claim.
If he tasted them blind (as is the claim), then I can understand why he panned them. The Qupe Syrahs are not that dramatic and impressive on release (the '07's
Parker reviewed have not been released yet). You have to know it's a Qupe and you have to know, based on BobLindquist's track record, that it will eventually
develop into something pretty good. OTOH, Parker and his minions are pretty adamant about his ability/infallibility to predict the ageibility of a wine.
Who knows where the truth lies.
Tom

Tom, perhaps a bit harsh in my choice there. I have found a handful of Alban wines too over the top for my liking though (particularly the Viogniers, I haven't been a big fan of the Syrahs either - with the 05 Reva, I enjoyed smelling it from the glass but really struggled to take more than 2-3 sips as I found the alcohol/superripe fruit overwhelmed everything else). That said I don't have anywhere near your experience and am sure there are better wines out there than the Syrahs I had from them - especially after having their Forsythe Vyd Mourvedre last year (which was a truly spectacular and memorable experience).

Folks have mentioned Saxum here. This is a new name to me.
Wine Beserkers has various threads running on Saxum, what is the big draw with this winery??

Qupe Syrah CentralCoast (13.5%) 2007tart bit lean...tart/lean bit hard/tannic/tight some bretty/horsecollar/Rhonish/funky finish

I guess it's all in the perspective. We had this last night and I would not have called it tart or lean. It seemed to speak fully of the CA sun. But then I guess you drink a lot more CA wine than I do. I found it delicious (again, from someone who doesn't usually drink CA wine). And I didn't pick up that much brett in my bottle.

Folks have mentioned Saxum here. This is a new name to me.
Wine Beserkers has various threads running on Saxum, what is the big draw with this winery??

The big draw, Bob, is that it gets big scores from Parker. The last CalifRhone review, he gave it a 100 for one of them.
MatTrevisan and JustinSmith started making wine together under the LinneCalado label. Primary source of
fruit was the JamesBerryVnyd in Paso, that Justin manages. After 3-4 yrs, they had a parting of the ways and Mat kept
the LinneCalado label. Justin went off to start his Saxum label, relying much on the JamesBerry fruit.
The JamesBerry vnyd is one of the best Rhone vnyds in Paso, maybe the best, maybe one of the best in Calif.
Copain and Carlisle also get fruit from there.
The wines are very big/extracted/oaked...exactly the kind of wine that appeals to the palate of famous Monktown attourneys.
Hence they typically get big scores, which drive a huge demand for them.
I like the wines myself, in general. Pretty classic Paso Rhone in style. But I don't buy them because of the hefty prices.
Tom

[David M. Bueker]

Wind Gap also makes a Rhone blend from the James Berry vineyard. It gets less exalted scores.

Tom, thanks for your kind reply. Very informative!