We tried these two new Calif Syrahs at Pig+Fig last week:
1. Bedrock Syrah HudsonVnyd/T-Block (14.5%; Farmed: Lee Hudson) 2022: Very dark color; strong blackberry/Syrah/very spicy some c-c/Syrah/black pepper some toasty/oak some roasted/Rhonish bit complex very attractive nose; fairly tart/tangy rather c-c/Syrah/peppery spicy/blackberry/blueberry/Syrah bit Rhonish/roasted light toasty/oak flavor w/ modest hard tannins; very long finish that follows flavor; quite a good c-c/Syrah but not as distinctive Hudson Syrah as some have been. $55.00
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2. Carlisle Syrah RadientRidgeVnyd/BennettVlly/SonomaCnty (14.1%; clone 470; 23% new Fr.oak; Fined: 1 egg white/brl; Unfltrd; 325 cs) 2021: Dark color; strong plummy/blackberry/boysenberry/Syrah/spicy some Carlisle/toasty/oak rather classic Carlisle red nose; bit soft somewhat structured ripe/Syrah/blackberry/boysenberry/blueberry some toasty/Fr.oak flavor w/ modest ripe tannins; doesn't show much of the c-c/black pepper Syrah as some BennettVlly Syrahs; a pretty classic ripe Carlisle Syrah but not that distinctive a Syrah. $34.50
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More visserclot from TheBloodyPulpit:
1. I liked both of these Syrahs quite a lot and thought them both classic Bedrock & Carlisle Syrahs. That said, I didn't think they were particularly terroir-driven expressions of Syrah. Many of the Hudson Syrahs show a strong c-c/black pepper/black olive/rather Rhonish character. That was rather subdued in the Bedrock compared to previous Bedrock Hudsons. Many of the BennettVlly Syrahs show a lot of c-c/black pepper character and I thought this was not as evident in the Carlisle. It was a classic Carlisle Syrah but just that. That said, both of these are excellent examples of their respective winemakers. That said, what the heck would I know...only been tasting Calif Syrah from the very start.
Tom