We tried these three D&G Syrahs at our Pig+Fig tasting last week:
1. Donkey&Goat Syrah FenaughtyVnyd/ElDorado (14.1%; U; www.DonkeyAndGoat.com) 2009: Dark color w/ some browning; slight musty bit alcoholic/volatile some blackberry/Syrah/earthy/mushroomy/ElD some complex nose; rather hot/alcoholic some earthy/mushroomy/ElD Syrah bit blackberry somewhat soft some pencilly/oak flavor w/ light astringent tannins; long earthy/ElD finish tracks flavor; speaks of ElDorado Syrah but drying out on the palate and on its downhill trajectory.
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2. Donkey&Goat Syrah PerliVnyd/MendoRidge (14.1%; U) 2009: Dark color w/ slight bricking; much stronger/brighter spicy/blackberry/Syrah slight c-c/peppery light pencilly/oak more complex rather fragrant nose; fairly strong blackberry/Syrah/spicy/blueberry rather tart/tangy/bit metallic some pencilly/oak somewhat complex flavor w/ modest astringent tannins; very long bright/Syrah finish that mimics flavor; much more bright Syrah fruit but showing signs of drying out on the palate; a bit beyond its peak but still offers up some pleasure.
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3. Donkey&Goat Syrah Reserve FenaughtyVnyd/ElDorado (14.3%; U; Btl 132 of 689) 2008: Dark color w/ some bricking; rather earthy/mushroomy/ElDorado strong blackberry/Syrah slightly aged/musty fairly strong toasty/smokey/Fr.oak rather Rhonish/roasted/smokey quite complex fairly attractive nose as the musty character blows off; bit soft slightly hot/alcoholic strong ElD/earthy/mushroomy some pencilly/toasty/oak fairly strong blackberry/Syrah rather Rhonish/roasted fairly complex flavor w/ light smooth tannins; very long/lingering finish that tracks flavor w/ light astringent tannins; much more Rhonis & complex but starting to show a bit of its age; drink up now.
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More kibblebrats from TheBloodyPulpit:
1. I have, of course, followed Donkey&Goat from the very start when they first showed their Syrah at a RhoneRangers tasting at FtMason. From ElDorado Fenaughty grapes, I was impressed by their wine and their passion that Jared & Tracey Brandt showed. Since then, I believe there was a divorce in there & the winemaking was mostly under Tracey. But I gather that Jared is now in charge. It's a bit confusing.
Tracey & Jered took the name from the donkeys & goats that were prevalent in the vnyds in the Rhone Vlly. They spent a few yrs working w/ Eric Texier to hone their winemaking skills. They were one of the early proponents of skin-contact whites, which they used on their Roussanne. They were early users of ElDorado Rhone grapes grown by RonMansfield. They were also early proponents of making Natural wines. But they do it well & I seldom find any hints of natty character in their wines.
In general, an interesting Rhone wine operation.
Tom