WTN: Eberle Syrah FralichVnyd '95...(short/boring)

Tried this last night w/ very low expectations:
1. Eberle Syrah FralichVnyd/PasoRobles (13.8%; 4% Viognier) PasoRobles 1995: Dark color w/ no bricking; very attractive/fragrant bright/strawberry/Syrah/very spicy slight earthy some pencilly/tobaccoy/cedar/oak slight Rhonish/smokey complex beautiful nose; soft smooth/silky/velvety some strawberry/Syrah/slight cherry/floral light pencilly/cedary/oak quite spicy complex flavor w/ light smooth/silky tannins; very long/lingering bright/spicy/strawberry/Syrah light pencilly/cigar-box/oak very slight bretty/Rhonish/leathery smooth/silky complex perfumed finish w/ light gentle/polished tannins; no signs of drying out or falling apart; this Syrah has come together beautifully like few wines every do; absolutely seamless and balanced. $12.00
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And a wee BloodyPulpit:
1. I have, of course, followed GaryEberle from the very start at his days at EstrellaRiverWnry. I had read in NateChroman's book that Gary had planted Syrah, which picqued my interest. So around '77, I made an appointment, on my first of many subsequent visits to PasoRobles, to visit w/ Gary.
At EstrellaRiver, Gary had been earning quite a reputation for his Chards and, especially, his Cabs. So Gary, on meeting me, walked me thru the wnry, took me up to the top of the bell tower to get the lay of the land, and then escorted me into the tiny/low-key tasting room. We tried several of his Chards and Cabs, which I acknowledged as being pretty good...and not just for Paso wines. Then I dropped the bombshell when I told him I was really interested in his Syrah (and Barbera). Gary's eyes sorta bugged out and he was convinced he was dealing w/ a real nut case here, but pleased somebody was interested in something he had a passion for.
Bear in mind that at this point, the only Calif Syrah on the market was the Phelps, made by WalterShug. It was, charitably speaking, not very good and spoke little of Syrah. Gary, was helping his major prof, HaroldOlmo prune the row of Syrah vines at the UC/Davis experimental vnyd, by Harold's invitation. When they were done, Harold gave Gary firm instructions to clean up the cuttings (wink, wink)...which Gary eagerly did....taking them back to Paso and propagating them into his planting at EstrellaRiver and producing his first Syrah about '76.
So Gary led me back into the winery, thief in hand, and we set about to taste the Syrah, which would have been the '76 I believe. That experience was a real eye-opener. It had a very perfumed/floral aroma that was loaded w/ strawberry, plus a fair amount of pencilly oak. Definitely not Cote-Rotie, but a beautifully perfumed wine that was my first impression that Syrah, indeed, had some potential in Calif to make fine wine (did I mention ever that I followed Calif Syrah from the very start??).
Those Syrah vines from Gary were eventually propagated into other vnyds, where it became known as the EstrellaClone of Syrah...once the dominant Syrah clone in Calif. One of the distinguishing characteristics of EstrellaClone Syrah has always been, to me, a distinct strawberry aroma.
My tasting group wound up buying a pretty significant fraction of that first Estrella Syrah and the second one, which came in a cute pine or cedary little box for each btl. Still have one of those boxes around.
Gary eventually left EstrellaRiver and went on down the road to found his EberleWnry. The original Syrah planting eventually succumbed to phylloxera and was pulled. Gery convinced HarryFralich to plant Syrah (and Viognier) for him nearby and made those two FralichVnyd wines for a number of yrs, until he became dissatisfied w/ their quality.
Gary's wines are typically made w/ impeccable balance. They remind me a lot of BobLindquist's Syrahs because of their balance, but w/o the oak & smokey/Rhonish character. They also remind me a lot of the TablasCreek wines because of their restraint & elegance & balance.
I opened this Syrah w/ low expectations as I expected it to be pretty much on its last legs. It was definitely not. Once again, balance carries the day when it comes to aging Syrah. This is a lesson a few of the hot-shot/big-ticket Syrah winemakers up in Paso's WestSide will ever take to heart.
Not sure where HarryFralich's Syrah/Viognier go to these days.
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2. Barbera: I was also very interested when I got from Chroman's book that Gary was making Barbera...a variety I was convinced from my Montevina experience, could make great wine in Calif. He sourced them from ArtNorman's vnyd up in the AdelaidaHills on the WestSide. Gary, over the yrs, has made some exceptional Barberas..again in a restrained/balanced style. Art went on to found NormanVnyds and make his own wine. Art's early background was with the AEC (Atomic Energy Comission) and we had several long discussions about his experiences. I gather NormanVnyds is still in business (Art long since passed on), but their WebSite looks totally stale.
Tom

Thanks, Tom. Nice to see Gary's wines are holding so well, and this reinforces all my experiences.

I, too, have followed Gary from the start and am still proud to say that when offered the opportunity to bring in the wines for Texas I jumped on it immediately. Gary and I enjoyed several years of having his wine exclusively and I pushed the hell out of it every chance I got.

His pioneering work on Syrah in Paso is nicely documented with your provided history. Back then, though, his incredible work with Cabernet Sauvignon was what was catching everyone's attention. Same hallmarks: balance, restraint, harmony, built to age slowly and gracefully (as long as you could resist the temptation to open and glug). He did some rather impressive Zins as well, allowing that variety a little more bombast and bramble, but still keeping it reined it.

One of my special delights was a relatively insignificant seller but an absolute charming delight: his Muscat Canelli. Oh, what a delicious wine that was! And this was in Texas in the 80s, so sweet wines were totally acceptable. Gary related how much his (then) wife and (still) daughter demanded he make this wine so they could sun-bunny with it.

Gary taught me how to use the luscious Muscat to best effect. Take half a watermelon, slice out the fruit, dice and add any other fruits you want (except banana, because it tends to get slimy quickly and sometimes throw a weird taste), pour a bottle or so of the Muscat Canelli in, and put it in the freezer until you're ready to take the sun. (They had a full 360 sundeck at their house then. so they would sun, slurp, sun, slurp the icy concoction until they couldn't handle any more of either. I tried the watermelon and muscat, and it was indeed delicious.

It has been a privilege to have worked with Gary and to have observed his career. He's a hell of a great guy, makes some good wines, abhors bullshit and talks straight, and managed to get through some serious difficulties with family and partners to survive and thrive. He's a big bear of a guy, fun to drink with, tells great stories, and is one of the best wine judges I have ever tasted alongside. And he is still making great wine, and hopefully will be for many, many years to come.