Christopher Tynan 2015 Spring Release

Although I’m scaling back on some purchases - will likely go all in on this one. The letter is posted below. Curious if anyone’s had any experience with the 2015 Vintage yet…

Cheers!

——————————————-

2015 Christopher Tynan Wines
Spring Release


Dear Friends,
I am pleased to announce that the release of the 2015 vintage of Christopher Tynan Wines will commence on Monday April 29th, 2019 at 9am PST. An email will be sent at that time to all previous buyers and will include their secured 2015 allocations. On May 6th the wines will be offered on a first come, first served basis to all new customers. This release will feature the 2015 Judge Family Vineyard Syrah (5 barrels produced) and the 2015 (Meleagris gallopavo) Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon (4 barrels produced.) These wines are made in minuscule amounts, so allocations will be based on purchase history, with priority going to previous buyers.

Previous Buyer’s Ordering Window
Begins Monday April 29th at 9am PST - Ends Sunday May 5th at 5pm PST

Please take advantage of the priority window provided for previous buyers by placing your order online between Monday April 29th at 9am and Sunday May 5th at 5pm Pacific time. Allocations for previous buyers are fixed and I will hold your allocation of wines during this period. On Monday May 6th, the release wines will open to the remainder of the mailing list.

New Customer’s Ordering Window
Begins Monday May 6th at 9am PST - Ends Sunday May 12th at 5pm PST
On Monday May 6th at 9am the new customer order window will begin and wines will be sold on a first come, first served basis.

Thank you all for your continued interest and ongoing support. I’m looking forward to sharing the wines with you.

Christopher Tynan
4/22/19

Will be all in as well. Wondering what allocations will look like.

Never had the Syrah - anyone have feedback?

The Syrah is excellent, very Hermitage-like (to my pretty amateur palate) and, like you’d think, is screamingly young. It’s not fruit-driven but nonetheless huge. I had a taste of the 2013 at Acme a couple of years ago and it took me two weeks to pry the insides of my cheeks apart. I mean that in a good way, too.

G

Had the 13 syrah several times and it is an awesome wine, one of the top US syrahs available and in my opinion a great value at $75. I dont have much Rhone experience but in terms of US syrah i would agree with Glen it is not fruit driven but still a substantial wine that should be paired with a big rib eye or similar. If you get an offer dont pass it up, you will be happy. It compares very well to other top syrahs like Saxum, Alban and even SQN

Thank you both for the thoughts. Looks like I’ll grab all I’m offered

As much as we begged, Chris said we had to wait until the mailing list was handled to see if we get any for retail. I swear we were on the mailing list.

Tynan wines have become a household fave, excited to see this in the spring vs fall this year. Curious when they’ll ship…

We tried the '15 Cab from bottle a few months ago with Chris… It was an indulgent, slutty, beast of a wine. Absolutely awesome.

2015 Vintage Overview
The 2015 vintage was a wonderfully classic year for both Sonoma and Napa Valley wines. This was the last of the drought-like winters that marked the 2012-15 vintages. A dry, moderately warm winter followed by warm spring temperatures, led to an early bud break that set the stage for one of the earliest harvests on record. Crop levels were lower than average due to the dry conditions and a cool weather spell during flowering. The dry soils led to low vigor vines and small berries, creating very concentrated fruit. With lovely stress free summer weather, the stage was set for my earliest harvest yet. The resulting wines are dense, yet opulent with incredible intensity, power, and wild aromatics.
You will find below that I’ve included the usual descriptions of the vineyards, as well as updated tasting notes. One of the benefits of releasing my wines much later than my peers is that much of the critical hype and sensational marketing around each vintage is long gone. The wines really have time to come into focus and reveal the true character of the vintage. In essence, the wines begin to speak for themselves.
As my loyal customers know, I make the wines in a vin de garde style that benefits from aging in a cool cellar over several years. If you must open a bottle in its infancy, please give these wines a thoughtful decant before serving.
Thanks for you continued interest and support,
Christopher
Christopher Tynan Wines

2015 Judge Family Vineyard Syrah
The 2015 Judge Family Vineyard Syrah is sourced from the cold climate of the Bennett Valley of Sonoma. Meticulously farmed by Joe and Gail Judge, this rocky sloping vineyard planted on a mix of volcanic tufa, weathered stones, and clay, produces elegant and intensely aromatic Syrahs reminiscent of the great wines of Northern Rhone. Bennett Valley is a gently sloping elevated valley nestled between three mountain peaks in Sonoma County. Within the Sonoma Valley appellation and overlapping a portion of both Sonoma Mountain and the Sonoma Coast, the well-drained mountain benchland soils combine with early morning fog and cool marine breezes to create ideal conditions for growing exceptional cool-climate varietals. The wine was cave aged in a combination of 80% used and 20% new French oak barrels for 20 months and bottled unfined and unfiltered.
2015 Tasting note:
With its bouquet of fresh spring flowers and savory aromas of smoked meats, the 2015 Judge Family Syrah is a dead ringer for Cote Rotie and is certainly the best Syrah I have made to date. This elegant wine is resplendent with scents of violets, warm raspberries, and spiced aztec chocolate. Notes of Peking duck, black truffles, and cracked black pepper fill out the upper register of this gorgeous elixir. Dressed in silky texture, the expansive entry fills the palate with a rich unctuousness that melts and softly caresses, bringing out deeper flavors of bacon lardons, black tea, and wild game. The acidity is buoyantly suave, while the tannin is persistently ultra-fine.
100% Syrah – Clones 877, 174, Estrella River
pH 3.89 Alcohol 14.2% TA 5.6 g/L
115 Cases Produced

2015 (Meleagris gallopavo) Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon
Perched in the western hills, high above the town of St. Helena, the (Meleagris gallopavo) Vineyard has one of the best views of the Napa Valley one could ever imagine. Planted in 1970 to an unknown clone of Cabernet and St. George rootstock, these beautiful old dry farmed vines grow on a modest 1.5-acre sloping hillside bench 850 ft. above the valley below. The vineyard gets its name from a small family of indigenous turkey that come down each fall from the old oak forests surrounding the vines. They’ve learned over the decades that within this secret hillside vineyard’s walls, a feast of ripe and succulent fruit awaits each harvest. The old vines produce only 2 tons per acre in the most fruitful of years. The tiny precious crop is some of the most concentrated and complex hillside fruit I’ve ever tasted. This is a one-of-kind site that produces a distinct, aromatically complex, and age worthy wine that will last decades. Different sections of the vineyard were picked separately and fermented in stainless steel and small oak fermenters. The wine was cave aged in a combination of new and used French oak barrels for 20 months and bottled unfined and unfiltered.
2015 Tasting note:
The 2015 Meleagris was sculpted in a vintage where only the smallest of clusters and berries were produced by the hillside vines. That chiseled concentration is reflected in its tightly wound character. Youthful and primary, the nose on this fledgling beauty is all black fruit, crushed rock, and cool slate. There are pretty violets among the mineral aromas with black currant, lavender, and spice box notes unfurling out along the bouquet. The summer blackberry and melted licorice flavors pour over the palate in a well delineated fashion and persist long after each taste. This powerhouse tastes like it will last forever and get better and better with time.

100% Cabernet Sauvignon
pH 3.83 Alcohol 14.6% TA 5.8 g/L
94 Cases Produced

What the critics are saying:

Jeb Dunnuck 98+ pts
The 2015 Cabernet Sauvignon Meleagris Gallopavo Vineyard comes from a site in the western hills above St. Helena and vines planted in the 1970s. Aged 20 months in a mix of new and neutral barrels, it just jumps from the glass with an exotic array of bloody blueberry and blackberry fruits, crushed smoke tobacco, menthol, cold fireplace, and damp earth/forest floor. This rich, opulent, exotic and singular beauty has a wealth of fruit and massive richness yet has the purity and approachability of the vintage front and center. It needs 7-8 years of bottle age and will have 3-4 decades of longevity. -Jeb Dunnuck Jan. 2019

All in on the Syrah and will get a few cabs, one of the better syrah’s available

Definitely in on the Syrah, debating on the Cab right now.

The 15 is killer. One of his best yet. The Meleagris is a range of Sylvain cooperages. 48 year old cabernet vines! Giant, black, full body, vibrant lively streak of fruit. Awesome. Don’t miss it!

Did you try the syrah ?

PSA

*This is a follow up to the email sent Monday April 29th reminding 2015 Advance Release Members that the allocation period ends tomorrow Sunday May 5th at 5pm PST. Any remaining wine will be released to new sign ups to the mailing list. If you’ve already purchased your allocation, please disregard this email.

6 syrahs is enough… right??

What is this word “enough” to which you refer? [scratch.gif]

Already open 1/2 hour early for NEW sign ups. Grabbed a 3-pk of the Cabernet. Couldn’t get myself to go in on the Syrah due to just me not bring a huge Syrah drinker.

Anyone know why he places parenthesis around the vineyard name for the cab? 2015 (Meleagris gallopavo) Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon

im passing if anyone is looking for more, pm if interested, FCFS.

No! Christopher’s Syrah is delicious