Just got an email from Andrew about his new release…a syrah, from Paso!
Based on the description, it sounds like a big’un. Anyone try this? I’m curious, but not sure if I’m $55 curious, especially since I’ve been moving away from this style lately.
Andrew’s description…
2009 “TRICK” Torrin Vineyard, Syrah - 45 cases produced - No Distribution
Clones 877 & 174 (50% Whole Cluster) - aged in one Ermitage and one 1 year Francois Freres for 22 months and bottled un-fined and un-filtered in August 2010.
Tasting notes: Massive at the seams, bursting with mocha-laced blackberry, bright blueberry and black licorice with non-stop grip. Intertwined with layers of wild berry fruit and complex mineral the wine evolves and intensifies thru the mid-palate with finesse and ends with chunky fruit flavors. This wine will stain anything it touches!
Becoming more popular to do whole cluster with syrah . . . Pax has been doing it for quite some time; the Arnot Roberts syrahs are all 100% whole cluster; I think many of the Copains are as well perhaps?!?!? I usually add about 25% in mine, but will be bottling a 100% whole cluster from Thompson Vineyard next month . . .
I believe that all of Ed Kurtzman’s Sandler Syrahs have been 100% whole cluster. Quite a few people in California are using a fair percentage of whole cluster in Syrah.
Hi all. Thanks everyone for the support. A bit shocked still…the “TRICK” sold out in 8 hours…just hard for me to wrap my head around. Very unexpected. I had quite a few emails and phone calls congratulating me on working with Torrin fruit…obviously the vineyard has quite a following. I am extremely honored to work with Scott Hawley…the fun thing for me is to see such passion in other varietals as the one I am mainly concentrated on…pinot. As the letter stated…this is a “one off” project but hopefully the stars align and another paso syrah will be in the making. I had such a great time making this juice!
The use of 50% WC on the 174 clone was a judgement call at harvest (I had spoken to quite a few West Paso producers about the use) and decided to do it. I think it really added a big element of complexity to the nose and a defined, rigid tannin structure that really brings the wine together.
Well, if you care about marketing - and I know that some people just hate that aspect of the business - but if you care about marketing, then you might spend some time pondering what was different about that particular email.
Because I know that almost as soon as I started reading the email, I was thinking to myself, “Hey, this sounds really neat.”
Are you getting anything like the “pine resin” notes that people often associate with young Cote-de-Nuits whole cluster Pinot?
Or is Central Coast Syrah fruit so big that it can absorb the whole cluster in stride?
Or maybe “pine resin” manifests itself on the Central Coast more like “eucalyptus” or “spearmint”?
I did luck out… Pick up 4 towards the end of the day. Must have been one of the last ones in. Then this morning throught… “Maybe I should pick up the other two” only to see the SOLD OUT. So I’m glad the two I left went to someone who would have likely missed out…
Congrats Andrew, it’s quite impressive to move 40 cases of over-$50 syrah in just a few hours given that syrah has been deemed so “unpopular” these days! Hopefully someday I will get to try one.
Sending anything out on a weekend is usually a death sentence. You’d be surprised how many more people read, window shop and buy off the internet during the workweek.
Yes this project sounds fun and I’m so happy I landed 5 bottles! Congrats Andrew on the sell out release and I hope to meet you next time your in Paso sourcing fruit. Cheers to another great year.
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