We tried this week (2/17/16) current release Qupe Wines:
1. Qupe Marsanne SantaBarbaraCnty (25% Roussanne; 12.5%) 2012: Light gold color; strong appley/stony/Marsanne
rather fragrant floral/apple blossom bit honeyed quite lovely nose; fairly tart/tangy some appley/honeyed/
apple blossom bit stony/Marsanne light honeysuckle/Roussanne favor; very long/lingering floral/apple blossom
light stony/Marsanne bit honeyed finish w/ a very honeyed aftertaste that wells up in the back of your mouth and
goes on & on; a truly profound Marsanne at a great price. $20.00
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2. Qupe Viognier Sawyer LindquistVnyd/EdnaVlly (Demeter; 13.4%) 2014: Very light gold color; beautiful perfumed/
fragrant spicy/pear/peach incredibly spicy/nutmeg beautiful aromatic nose; lightly tart very elegant/perfumed
intense pear/peach/Viog/floral fairly rich balanced/elegant flavor; very long/lingering very spicy/peach/pear/
Viog/floral light mineral very spicy exotic finish that goes on & on; a lovely elegant/spicy Viog that dances
pirouettes across the palate. $30.00
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3. Qupe Roussanne BienNacido HillsideEstate/SantaMariaVlly (EB; 13.0%) 2011: Med.light gold color; beautiful
floral/honeyed/honeysuckle/Rouss light earthy/mineral very aromatic complex nose; lightly tart strong honeyed/
honeysuckle/Rouss/floral oily/textured/balanced light mineral/stony slight gout de petrol flavor; very long/
lingering strong floral/honeysuckle/Rouss/spicy light stony/chalky light gout de petrol rich/balanced finish;
a beautiful Rouss w/ a great balance between aromatic fruit and stony minerality. $40.00
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4. Sawyer LindquistVnyd PinotNoir EdnaVlly (12.5%) 2012: Light almost rose color; rather earthy/Burgundian some
toasty/charred/oak rather cherry/black cherry/Pinot fairly spicy/perfumed nose; lightly tart some earthy/loamy
rather cherry/black cherry/cherry cola/Pinot fairly charred/oak/toasty/bit Burgundian flavor w/ light tannins;
long rather charred/toasty/oak some Pinot/cherry/black cherry light earthy/loamy/Burgundian finish w/ light
gentle tannins; a lightweight Pinot in a faux-Burgundy style but a bit too much oak for me. $30.00
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5. Qupe Grenache Sawyer LindquistVnyd/EdnaVlly (Demeter; 13.5%) 2012: Med.light color; some strawberry/raspberry/
Grenache rather bright/fragrant slight earthy/dusty/Rhonish rather pretty nose; somewhat tart strong bright/
raspberry/strawberry/Grenache light earthy/dusty flavor w/ light tannins; med.long pretty/bright strawberry/
raspberry/Grenache bit earthy/Rhonish finish w/ light/gentle tannins; a lightweight/pretty/bright Grenache
that I suspect will put on some weight w/ more age. $35.00
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6. Qupe a modern red CentralCoast (Syrah/Grenache/Mourv; 13.5%) 2013: Med.color; quite attractive/pretty rather
fragrant strawberry/blackberry/bit Syrah quite pretty/fragrant nose; lightly tart pretty blackberry/Syrah/
strawberry somewhat spicy flavor w/ light gentle tannins; med.long attractive blackberry/Syrah/strawberry
light earthy finish w/ light tannins; a really pretty red that speaks mostlly of Syrah at a stupid/silly
price. $16.00
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7. Qupe Syrah SantaBarbaraCnty (13.5%; www.Qupe.com) SantaMara 2012: Med.color; lovely fragrant blackberry/Syrah/
spicy/very aromatic slight floral/violets light smokey/coffee/Rhonish fairly complex nose; fairly tart bit lean/
tight spicy/blackberry/Syarh light Rhonish/coffee/roasted bit earthy flavor w/ light wirey tannins; long spicy/
blackberry/Syrah light Rhonish/coffee/pungent/smokey very slight bretty/leathery finish w/ light angular tannins;
a solid 4-square SBC Syrah and a step up over the old CentralCoast Syrah. $30.00
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8. Ethan Syrah Sawyer LindquistVnyd/EdnaVlly (100 cs; 13.8%) 2012: Med.dark color; strong more floral/peppery very
spicy deeper/blackberry/Syarh light Rhonish/smokey/earthy beautiful nose; rather tart some peppery/cold-climate
strong very spicy/deep/blackberry/Syrah slight Rhonish/coffee flavor w/ modest smooth tannins; very long strong
spicy/blackberry/Syrah/bit licorice slight Rhonish/roasted/smokey bit complex finish w/ light smooth tannins;
very balanced & well-made and much in the Qupe style but a bit deeper/peppery than the SBC Syrah; a lovely
Syrah. $40.00
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9. Qupe Syrah BienNacido Reserve (12.5%) 1994: Med.color; beautiful smokey/roasted/pungent some Rhonish/roasted/coffee
bit cedary/tobaccoy very complex classic oldQupeSyrah nose; soft/smooth bit drying very smoked/roasted/coffee bean/
pungent cedary/pencilly beautiful complex oldQupe flavor w/ light/smooth/velvety tannins; very long lingering
strong roasted/smokey/coffee bean bit Rhonish/earthy very complex finish w/ light silky tannins; not much fruit
left & starting to dry out a bit but a beautiful classic example of an oldQupe.
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10. Qupe Syrah BienNacido HillsideEstate/SantaMariaVlly (EB; 14.5%) 1997: Med.dark color; strong blackberry/Syrah/
very spicy slight wet wool/pungent bit toasty/oak light Rhonish/roasted some complex nose; fairly soft/lush strong
blackberry/Syrah/raspberry/very spicy slight roasted/Rhonish/smokey/coffee slight cedary/pencilly flavor w/ light
ripe/smooth tannins; very long/lingering strong blackberry/Syarh/cranberry/raspberry light roasted/smokey/pungent/
Rhonish fiish w/ light smooth/ripe tannins; an amazingly youthful w/ plentiful blackberry/Syrah fruit and starting
to show that oldQupe/smokey/roasted/Rhonish character.
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11. Qupe Syrah BienNacido HillsideEstate/SantaMariaVlly (EB; 13.5%) 2010: Dark color; very strong blackberry/cranberry/
Syrah/peppery very spicy light toasty/smokey/oak rather Rhonish/coffee/roasted slight herbal/thyme beautiful nose;
lightly tart very smokey/pungent/toasty/roasted/Rhonish strong blackberry/cranberry/Syrah/bit floral light cracked
black pepper very spicy flavor w/ some smooth/round tannins; very long/lingering strong blackberry/cranberry/
Syrah light cracked pepper/cold-climate rather Rhonish/pungent/smokey/roasted finish w/ ample smooth/ripe tannins;
lots of intensity but very well balanced; will easily go another 10-15 yrs; a beautiful Syrah at a great price.
$40.00
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12. Qupe Syrah PurisimaMtnVnyd/SantaYnezVlly (Demeter; 14.2%) 2013: Med.dark color; strong fruity/grapey/blackberry/
Syrah/quite spicy bit simple/lush fruit/black cherry lovely/intense nose; softer lush/rich/spicy/blackberry/
Syrah/black cherry cola light toasty/oak flavor w/ modest ripe/smooth tannins; very long ripe/lush blackberry/Syrah/
black cherry light/toasty/oak finish w/ light ripe tannins; speaks more of PurismaMtn Syrah and less of Qupe
winemaking style; quite an attractive lush/ripe Syrah. $35.00
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13. Qupe Syrah BienNacido X-Block/SantaMariaVlly ("The Good Nacido"; 30th Anniv; 13.0%) 2011: Dark color; very strong
blackberry/Syrah/blueberry/very spicy very cracked black pepper/cold-climate strong smokey/roasted/Rhonish/
pungent slight earthy/dusty complex beautiful nose; lightly tart very strong blackberry/blueberry/Syrah/quite
spicy slightly floral/violets rather cracked black pepper/c-c fairly Rhonish/roasted/smokey/smoked meats some
toasty/oak rather complex flavor w/ ample ripe/round tannins; very long/lingering very strong blackberry/blueberry/
Syrah/very spicy very strong black pepper/c-c some toasty/charred/oak bit dusty/earthy fairly complex finish w/
ample round tannins; much like the Hillside in style but a bit bigger/more peppery/more complex; a big Syrah but
shows that classic Qupe balance that'll take it out 15-20 yrs probably. $100.00
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14. Qupe Syrah BienNacido HillsideEstate/SantaBarbaraCnty (EB; 13.5%) 1995: Larry's mystery. Med.color w/ slight
bricking; strong coffee/coffee bean/roasted/pungent/smokey/Rhonish strong blackberry/blueberry/Syrah rather
complex oldQupe nose; lightly tart smooth/silky very strong roasted/smokey/pungent/Rhonish some blackberry/
Syrah/blueberry slight drying complex/oldQupe flavor w/ light smooth/slightly drying tannins; very long/
lingering light blackberry/Syrah strong Rhonish/smokey/pungent/coffee bean bit drying finish w/ light bit drying
tannins; shows lots of the oldQupe/complex character w/ some fruit remaining but starting to dry out just
a bit; a beautiful complex old Qupe Syrah.
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And more stuff from TheBloodyPulpit:
1. Marsanne: Bob was, of course, the first to produce a varietal Marsanne in Calif. I remember when he released
it and was rather underwhelmed by it. It had a lean/hard/stony character that I usually found in Rhone
Marsannes. Little did I know...what glories awaited me. Young Marsanne is not a very interesting wine. But
it is only when that Marsanne gets some age on it that it shows this wonderful honeyed/toasted hazelnuts/
complex character...just as aged Rhone Marsannes do. I've had Qupe Marsanne at 20-25 yrs of age that are
absolutely amazing. In recent yrs, Bob has started adding a bit of Roussanne to his Marsanne to give it more
aromatics and allow it to show much more upon release. Given that Roussanne is also a great ager, I see no
reason that this should impact the ageibility of the Marsanne.
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2. Viognier: Qupe has long produced Viognier that I've always liked, though a bit on the clunky side, as many
Calif Viogniers tend to be. They seldom have that vibrant and mineral character that you find in great Condrieu.
Many Calif Viogniers are a lot like watching Oprah dancing ballet. And then there are some DollyParton Viogniers
that are like watching the elephant ballerinas in Didney's Fantasia. But, since they have been making Viognier
from Sawyer-Lindquist Vnyd, the Qupe Viogniers have taken a real leap in quality. Truly, it is the Margot
Fonteyn of Calif Viog and the closest you'll find to great Condrieu in Calif. Quite a contrast to what his
neighbor across OrcuttRd makes.
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3. Roussanne: This Hillside Roussanne is consistently my favorite Roussanne in Calif..maybe the world. It may just
be Calif's greatest Roussanne. Only one that comes close is probably the TablasCreek.
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4. modern red: This is a new wine for Bob. I gather it is designed to replace his CentralCoast Syrah. I had it when
it first hit the shelves last Fall here in NM. I was underwhelmed. This time around, I'm much more impressed and
the wine seems to have put on some weight and is showing more Syrah character. Maybe not a profound Qupe Syrah
but certainly a QPR champ in my book. There is also a modern white on the books that I've not tried.
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5. Banks: Bob sold majority interest in Qupe to CharlesBanks/TerroirSelections over two yrs ago. Unlike many such
buy-ins, this was not a take-the-money-and-run situation like it often is. Bob is very much in command of
the production side of things and relieved of a lot of the mundane chores that are required to run a winery.
Clearly a win-win situation. I think Qupe is probably making the best wines they ever had and Bob still
shows the same passion for his craft as when I first met him making wine at the SamHale/MaryVigarossa
dairy barn North of LosAlamos.
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6. Grenache: This is a lightweight/elegant/graceful/restrained Grenach that stands in stark contrast to the one
made by his neighbor across OrcuttRd from Sawyer-Lindquist. What really struck me about this wine was the
very nice tribute on the back label to (the late) BobSenn/LosOlivos Wine&Spirits. BobSenn was one of the
people, early-on, to champion Grenache as having the potential to make great wines in the CentralCoast.
When I would visit Bob in LosAlamos (where we'd often have a bit more wine than was prudent), he would
always bring out this receipt from Qupe...Customer #1..as he beamed w/ pride. Man...do I miss that guy.
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7. Aging Qupe: Bob's Syrahs are not big/flashy/extracted Syrahs upon release. They seem to be understated and
restrained, but characterized by great balance. Which is probably why Bob (and SteveEdmunds) have been sent
off to the Monktown woodshed. But they seem to have this certain knack for evolving in the btl w/ age in
a rather magical way. The '94 & '97 Syrahs here were classic examples of what they can evolve into. Sometimes,
you just gotta trust the winemaker that it's gonna be great.
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8. Syrah: Bob's original Syrahs came from GaryEberle's EstrellaRiverVnyd in PasoRobles. Not sure how many yrs he
(and RandallGrahm) took Syrah from Estrella. Bob was instrumental in getting planted at BienNacido the first
cold-climate planting of Syrah, which is known as the X-Block; the oldest Syrah grapes that Bob makes. The BN
vnyd map indicates a planting date for this block of 1973. But I believe that was the date of the original
planting and that it was to Riesling, from which he & JimClendenen made several vintages of ThumbsUp, a botrytis
Riesling that eventually morphed into a beautiful old Sauternes. There is no longer Riesling planted at
BienNacido....alas. This Riesling was then grafted, sometime in the early '80's I believe, to Bob's Syrah/
Estrella clone. The rootstock is indicated by the BN map to be WhiteRiesling, so this Syrah is (sorta) own-
rooted, not the American rootstock. This X-Block is in far SE part of BN, where the flats start to rise up
towards the hills. Bob's flagship Syrah X-Block comes from this old block.
In the early '90's, Bob convinced the Millers (BN owners) to plant some some additional Syrah high atop the
large ridgetop just to the S of the wnry. An idea I expect the Millers thought to be crazy. This is known as
the Hillside block from which Bob makes his Hillside Reserve. There are several individual blocks (4/11/17)
within the Hillside block. These were mostly planted in the '93-'99 time frame, with some more recent plantings
in 2006.
Bob feels the X-Block makes his best Syrahs from BienNacido but that, with more vine age, the Hillside Block
will be the equal. I find X-Block & Hillside very similar in style, with the X-Block slightly bigger and more
complex, but not sure it's worth the price differential.
Finally, in 2005, Bob & Louisa purchased land and planted the Sawyer-Lindquist vnyd. This is located on
OrcuttRd in the EdnaVlly, just across from JohnAlban's vnyd, but down at a lower elevation on sandy (as opposed
to limestone) soils. Bob's Syrahs (and Roussanne and Viognier and Grenache) stand in stark contrast to
JohnAlban's, despite the proximity of the two sites. S-L is farmed biodynamically and Demeter-certified. Despite
the youth of the S-L vnyd, it is already producing great Syrah for Bob. His Sonnie's (Bob's mom's name) Syrah
is every bit the equal (to my mind) of the HillsideReserve and X-Block.
After making his PasoRobles Syrahs and before the start of BienNacido Syrah, the standard Qupe Syrah was labeled
as CentralCoast Syrah, being sourced from a number of vnyds in both SantaBarbaraCnty and PasoRobles. To maintain
the price point on the CC Syrah, for a few yrs he was sourcing old-vine Lodi Zin & Carignane to blend in a small
amount, but gave those grapes up long ago. After the 2012 vintage, there is no longer CC Syrah, being replaced
by SantaBarbaraCnty Syrah and "a modern red" GSM blend for the Qupe price-point leaders.
Tom