It's a Halćon Spring

Spring offer is up for ordering.

We hope you had a very happy holiday season and wish you the best for 2016!
We are releasing the second round of 2014 Halcón wines. This release includes our 2014 Alturas Syrah and the inaugural Wentzel Pinot Noir. Unfortunately, due to the effects of fires in the area of Alder Springs, there is no 2014 Prado. To fill the void we held back a little 2013 Prado to include in this offering. This structured white has really benefited from a year in the bottle. There is also some 2014 Rosé available. It will make a great spring and summer drink.

We are honored to be included in Mike Dunne’s wines of the year. Some impressive company in the Syrah category - SacBee Best of 2015.

You can find the mailer here - HalconSpring2016Release. Pre-release pricing is valid through January 26th, 2016. As with the last release, buy 6+ bottles and take 7.5% off. Buy a case and you save 15%. We bottled a few more 2014 Alturas magnums, so they are priced at just 2x the 750mL price (limit of 2). We will ship in February to southern states and the west coast. Shipments to the midwest and east coast will start in late March, weather permitting.

2015 Vintage
Just like the year before, 2015 started early with budbreak in mid-March. April temps were slightly above average but the May that followed was very cool and windy. This weather pattern coincided with flowering, reducing crop. Our Syrah yield was 25% down compared to 2014. Our warmth loving Grenache and Mourvedre was most affected, with just 1.27t harvested from 3 acres. A warm June allowed the vines to catch up on their development. Summer was even with moderate temperatures - just 5 days above 90F in August and September combined. We picked our Syrah on September 20th, one day later than 2014, and the Grenache and Mourvedre came in October 3rd.


2014 Rosé
Our first (commercial) Rosé. This wine utilizes 65% Grenache and 35% Mourvedre from our estate vineyard. We bled-off after two hours of skin contact and then fermented in neutral oak barrels. This is a rather serious Rosé – earthy, dried herb notes to balance the classic Grenache strawberry and cranberry fruit. A strong structure with vibrant acids. Bottled, unfined and unfiltered. 60 cases produced. 13.5% alc.

2013 Prado
The 2013 Halcón Prado comprises a blend of 50% Roussanne and 50% Marsanne, with all fruit coming from the outstanding Alder Springs vineyard. With this vintage we picked these grapes at an optimal, slightly lower, brix of 23.5, giving us a finished alcohol of 13.8%. The 2013 Prado is a hybrid of the two prior years – there is the honey, lychee fruit, creamy notes of the 2011 but also the crisper acids and spicy characteristics of the 2012. Aged in French oak, 20% new, bottled unfined and unfiltered.

2014 Wentzel Pinot Noir
Wentzel vineyard sits 400ft above the Anderson Valley floor in Philo. The fruit came from a steep hillside planting, which faces north-west, catching the full force of the ocean influence. This vineyard is organic and meticulously farmed. The fruit from our block was previously utilized by Copain.
This wine is a blend of Dijon clones. Native fermentation and no adjustment for acids or alcohol. 35% whole-cluster and aged in 20% new French oak in the form of a single Francois Frères puncheon. Bottled unfined, unfiltered. 13.1% alc.

2014 Alturas
The 2014 Halcón Alturas is a blend of estate Syrah with just a little co-fermented Viognier. Predominately the Chave clone, there is also a little own-rooted Estrella River and Tablas Creek selection. Like the 2013 Alturas we included 35% whole-cluster. Again we utilized just under 20% new French oak, Ermitage, 500L puncheons.
This wine resembles a blend of the previous two vintages – there are the stronger acids and minerality of 2012 allied with the meaty, garrigue qualities of the 2013. The finished alcohol is 13.3%.
Tasted as a barrel sample, the 2014 Syrah Alturas is a ripe, voluptuous 2014 that has lots of chalky minerality in its black raspberry, cassis, licorice and toasted-spice bouquet. Almost with an Hermitage-like graphite and minerality on the nose, it’s relatively soft and plush on the palate, with plenty of baby fat sitting on a firm core of tannin. It will be interesting to see how this comes together once in bottle, and while I think it will be a candidate for short-term cellaring, it should be accessible at a relatively early age. (Wine Advocate, Aug 2015) 91-93pts

Best

Jackie and Paul
Halcón Vineyards
408 828 1070

I buy the Alturas every year. I’m trying to cut back on spending but this is one of two mailers I’m likely to buy from this year.

Got some of their wines in a Lastbottle offer, they seem tasty; how do they do with some age on them, do they age well?

iirc also got some bubblies from them, both a brut and a rosé which are both nice.

Mark, the Syrahs and Rhones age great IMO. Disclaimer, - we buy fruit from them. The wines are great values and punch way above their price point IMO.

Mark,

+1 on what Loren said.

I have been buying the Alturas since the 2009 vintage and they are built to age and have all improved, IMO. Their major flaw is they are so good it is hard to keep any for aging: I only have one 2009 left!

The check’s in the mail.

Enjoying a '13 Alturas right now. Delicious cool climate syrah that feels like it has the stuffing to age quite a long time. I gave it a 4 hour decant yesterday before starting, and it was open all evening. Now on day two it is tasting even better than yesterday. Fantastic value IMHO.

'13 Alturas is a great wine, in my opinion.