Fleming Jenkins Syrah Santa Cruz Mountains California 2004. 14.3% alcohol. Anrea Robinson Wine Club. $32
Deep red color, deep hue, very good aroma of fruit, spice and earth, complex tastes of fruit with a strong under pinning of earth, medium mouth feel, medium, well evolved tannins, long, interesting finish. A pretty wine, but gee, $32? Give me an EJS any day. 3*+.
[I've rated the wine without considering how much I've admired Fleming over the years. She was 12 when her coach William Kipp was killed in the crash of Sabena Flight 548 along with the rest of the United States figure skating team while en route to the 1961 World Figure Skating Championships. Janet and I have been fans of ice skating ever since we first met, and Fleming was a major reason for the return of US skaters to the top ranks. We both admire her greatly.]
Regards, Bob
Notes:
Mercury News Interactive: Right after the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001, Fleming was stranded in Philadelphia, where she had been working for ABC television, because all the planes were grounded. Former Raiders coach and NFL broadcaster John Madden was in New York, where he had been scheduled to work a game that had been canceled along with the rest of the NFL schedule that weekend.
Madden and Fleming were represented by the same agency, and when Fleming's agent informed Madden's agent of her predicament, Madden knew just what to do. John Madden can't stand to fly and would travel across the country between football assignments on a luxury bus called the Madden Cruiser. So he had the Cruiser swing by Philadelphia to pick up Fleming and take her back to the Bay Area, where Madden was also heading.
Over the few days the trip took, Fleming revealed that she and her husband had an acre of chardonnay grapes on their Los Gatos property and were planning to start a winery. Madden said that he had syrah grapes on his ranch in the Livermore Valley and maybe they should work out a deal. By the time the bus reached the Bay Area, they had, and the result was the Fleming Jenkins 2004 Livermore Valley Syrah from Madden Ranch.
Robinson: I am thrilled to have the encore vintage of this fantastic Santa Cruz Syrah for the A-List™. Last year when we were able to get a few cases of the 2003 I pointed out that there were very few really great American Syrahs with the varietal character – sweet and savory spice and earthy stink – that to me define real Syrah. My experience with American Syrahs in general is that while they can be very lush with berry fruit, without that characteristic spice and earth it’s as though you could just as easily be drinking Zinfandel or Merlot. I am thrilled to say I think this is changing. Over the past year I have increasingly tasted American Syrahs that do have the Syrah personality that I think is so compelling. This is certainly one, and there are others coming down the pike for this club. What I have discovered is that the trick seems to be climate – the best Syrahs I’ve tried seem to come from places that are a bit cooler – the Russian River Valley, parts of Washington’s Columbia Valley, even Carneros. I think the coolness helps preserve some of that spice and terroir.
This Santa Cruz bottling showcases that logic perfectly. The grapes are sourced from very near the Pacific Ocean, in the foothills of the Santa Cruz mountains. Olympian Peggy Fleming and her husband Greg Jenkins made only 70 cases of this wine. They also make a great Syrah from Madden Ranch (as in football guru John Madden) that almost got the nod for the club in lieu of this bottling. But ultimately I chose the Santa Cruz for its earthiness, in spite of the fact that my football-crazed household was cheering for the Madden Ranch. We did enjoy pairing the wine with my football-Sunday pot roast – the fennel and herbs bring out the earthy-spicy Syrah character beautifully. [Recipe on request; it's a very nice food and wine pairing.]
Winemaker: On October 21, 2004 we got our first grapes from this carefully tended vineyard in the foothills of the Santa Cruz Mountains, very near the Pacific Ocean. After cold soaking, the grapes were inoculated with yeast and fermented on the skins. The wine was barrel aged in French oak for 16 months to provide additional structure and balance. Aromas of plum, raspberry and cherry are complemented nicely by touches of eucalyptus and earth. The wine has substantial yet elegant tannins, and is an excellent representation of a coastal climate Syrah.