Orange and Syrah! (Bonny Doon and Donkey and Goat)

2015 Donkey and Goat Pinot Blanc (Orange Wine). Very elegant citrusy, tea-y, orange wine. Tastes like an Orange Wine, not a Pinot Blanc, but still very nice. (Although it clashed badly with the small bits of blue cheese in the salad. They were only small bits, though!)

2009 Bonny Doon Bien Nacido Syrah. This was an outstanding lighter Syrah. Still somewhat primary! But lithe mouthweight and texture, bright raspberry and cherry fruit, and some meaty notes-like prosciutto? A very elegant version of Syrah!

[David M. Bueker]

"Tastes like an orange wine" is the boring truth of most orange wine.

Well...I do like that range of flavors.

It is not a wine style I drink every day, every week, or heck, every month.


But once in a while, it's an interesting change of pace.

[David M. Bueker]

I hear ya. I keep trying orange wines, and sometimes enjoy them, but ultimately wonder why I bought almost all of them.

2015 Donkey and Goat Pinot Blanc (Orange Wine). Very elegant citrusy, tea-y, orange wine. Tastes like an Orange Wine, not a Pinot Blanc, but still very nice. (Although it clashed badly with the small bits of blue cheese in the salad. They were only small bits, though!)

2009 Bonny Doon Bien Nacido Syrah. This was an outstanding lighter Syrah. Still somewhat primary! But lithe mouthweight and texture, bright raspberry and cherry fruit, and some meaty notes-like prosciutto? A very elegant version of Syrah!

Yup, Brian.....Randall doesn't make Syrah in a big/blockbuster style. They're more along the lines of the Qupes. I think their balance should make them age quite well.
The D&G sounds like a classic skin-contact white. The phenolic character tend to obliterate the varietal character. It pretty much dominates them when they're young. But, w/ age, the can develop some really interesting character. Or not.
Tom

I have tried a few Bonny Doon Syrahs and have enjoyed them all, Tom. Definitely on the lither side. There was one that was quite a bit funkier than this Bien Nacido one that I really enjoyed,

I have kept their wine club. If I can figure out how to actually GET TO Santa Cruz (17* has been blocked partially by mudslides) I should go pick up my shipment and do a nice coastal bike ride. More rain this weekend, so it may not be for awhile.

*California 17, which runs between San Jose and Santa Cruz and is the main arterial between the Bay Area and the Coast, is one of the most terrifying roadways in California to drive. Extremely narrow, steep, and massive traffic flows with substantial truck traffic that causes bad bottlenecks. And it floods or mudslides every bad year because the Santa Cruz Mountains get so much rain.

I have tried a few Bonny Doon Syrahs and have enjoyed them all, Tom. Definitely on the lither side. There was one that was quite a bit funkier than this Bien Nacido one that I really enjoyed,

I have kept their wine club. If I can figure out how to actually GET TO Santa Cruz (17* has been blocked partially by mudslides) I should go pick up my shipment and do a nice coastal bike ride. More rain this weekend, so it may not be for awhile.

*California 17, which runs between San Jose and Santa Cruz and is the main arterial between the Bay Area and the Coast, is one of the most terrifying roadways in California to drive. Extremely narrow, steep, and massive traffic flows with substantial truck traffic that causes bad bottlenecks. And it floods or mudslides every bad year because the Santa Cruz Mountains get so much rain.

Definitely, CA17 is a white-knuckle drive. Especially on the down-hill when you have those huge trucks bombing downhill.
Tom