Wine Berserkers Featured Winery - Novy

It’s time to start the Wine Berserkers Monthly Featured Winery program, and we’ve lined up three wineries that are diverse in winemaking styles and geography to start us out.

This thread features Novy winery, with winemaker Adam Lee (also of Siduri).

Tapping into the best aspects of BerserkerDay and our Special Guest programs, the goal of the Wine Berserkers Monthly Featured Winery program is to have all notes and discussions for each featured winery in one thread, so please use this thread to talk with the winemaker, each other, and to post your notes once you receive your sample pack. Each winemaker is instructed to provide a sample pack (or more) that exhibits his or her winemaking style, and as a community, our job is to give feedback, notes, ask questions, and be as honest and participatory as can be. Not only does the community have an opportunity to discover the ins and outs of a new winery and/or winemaker, but the winemakers have a chance to dig into the reactions and feedback of a very diverse and large community. Hopefully our thousands of lurkers will also be encouraged to step out and join the discussion!

Novy’s offers:

Two three-pack samplers

2010 Novy RRV Sauvignon Blanc
2010 Novy RRV Zinfandel
2009 Novy Christensen Vineyard Syrah
$55…including shipping to reciprocal state

2009 Novy Rosella’s Vineyard Syrah
2009 Novy Garys’ Vineyard Syrah
2009 Novy Susan’s Hill Vineyard Syrah
$85 including shipping

To order, use this PDF downloadable form: http://www.siduri.com/downloads/Berserkers%20offer%20April%202012.pdf

Adam, if you’ll be so kind as to start us out and tell us more about Novy, your winemaking style, and any other pertinent information that you feel would be valuable to give those who order some background infomation…

Berserkers, purchase your sample packs, and when you receive them, drink up, and post your notes here. In the interim, feel free to pose your questions to Adam and the rest of the Wine Berserkers community!

And we begin!

Hey All,

First off, thanks Todd for letting me participate. I really appreciate it. And thanks to all of you for your interest.

Also, to order you can send the order form via email to vino@siduri.com or via fax to 707-578-3884.

So, Novy was started by Dianna and I back in 1998. We started Siduri in 1994 with $24,000 and with the goal of focusing on Pinot Noir exclusively. As we got further into the winemaking business, we met other growers who grew grapes other than Pinot Noir (imagine that) and quickly opportunities presented themselves. At the same time, Dianna’s family, the Novys (from the small town of Ennis, Texas) saw that Siduri was taking off and became interested in becoming involved in the wine business, at least from the investment side. So, in 1998, we made a small amount of Syrah, took a sample home to the family at the Holidays, and started a new label called Novy. Dianna’s parents and 3 brothers and their wives remain investors in Novy…but just that, financial investors, with all of the winemaking decisions left up to Dianna and I.

Now, when we started Novy in 1998, we were hoping to jump on the next hot varietal in the United States — that being Syrah, of course. Yesh…that didn’t quite work out. But we love Syrah so that has remained a focus for Novy. We also work in limited quantities with other varietals…taking advantage again of the opportunities that present themselves to us. The two offerings here show different aspects of what we do:

The first is a Russian River focus – with the Sauvignon Blanc coming from a vineyard on Hall Road in the Russian River Valley owne by Ramona Crinella. Hanna, Benziger, and Merry Edwards also get fruit from the vineyard. The Zinfandel comes from the Elsbree Vineyard, a warmer part of the Russian River Valley up near Windsor, and a very steep hillside property. And the Christensen Syrah comes from a vineyard on Fulton Road, owned by Sharon Christensen, it always produces one of our most distinct RRV Syrahs.

The second pack in an SLH focus, all thru the lens of Syrah. Rosella’s, Garys’, and Susan’s takes you from north (cooler) to south (warmer) in the SLH region, with differing characteristics in the wines based largely on the place (versus the winemaking).

I can get into philosophy, specifics on any and all of the wines, or any other thing you want to know…but will leave it at that for right now.

Thanks for the interest!

Adam Lee
Novy and Siduri

Looking forward to this as I’ve recently had several bottles of the 2009 Novy Syrah Santa Lucia Highland (not part of this offer) which I enjoyed. One question: The prices quoted in the pdf are $5 different than the prices quoted above. Which is it?
Thanks, Michael

p.s. after yesterday’s lastbottle marathon, this feels a lot like a hangover.

The prices in the .PDF are correct…sorry for any confusion on that.

Adam Lee
Novy & Siduri

I just talked to Adam - the price was adjusted after I received Adam’s emailed offer, and since he decided to include shipping, and allow them to be shipped outside CA, the price was adjusted, and it is reflected correctly now in the first post.

Presuming there is no shipping over the weekend, I would urge Berserkers to get their sample pack orders in soon, so the wines can ship out early next week

Adam,

You always seem to be very forthright in your posting and sharing a behind the scenes view of the wine making business. It’s greatly appreciated.

Do you feel pressure from the old school not to be talking so openly? An example was the '11 pinot thread where you didn’t line up with the “everything looks great” viewpoint and actually shared data as to why.

Brig,

I don’t really hear back at all as to whether or not I should talk openly or not. So, no, I don’t get any pressure from the 'old school." I do sometimes wonder myself the value in being very forthright. Certain areas seem better at the propoganda end of things than I am…with more ability (or willingness) to put spin on things than I am. And I wonder if having that skill helps sales more than being open about stuff.

But I think I have come to the conclusion that it is better to be who you are, at least for me.

Adam Lee
Siduri Wines & Novy Family Winery

Talk openly! Did you forget this is Wine Berserkers?

Adam, it’s awesome that you’re on the boards! I just visited you guys last week at your winery in Sonoma. I’m from NJ, and I was out there visiting my brother. It was a surfing/wine tasting trip and we got to your winery right after a really great surfing session at Salmon Creek. I’ve been a fan for a while and I had a great experience at your winery. I really liked the Sonatera vineyard 2010 pinot, and the 2009 rosella’s vineyard syrah. Thanks for being a part of an awesome trip.

Met you at Willi’s on Tuesday night Adam, we were sitting at the upper table, and I liked the Christensen Syrah but when Anthony poured us the Sierra Mar it reminded me what I like about Central Coast Syrah. So the SLH pack sounds like a winner and I’m biting as well.

Adam,

I have wondered how open or closed to be about inside info. To me, it has been a relief to see an example of a winery that has a strong following that has a winemaker that is open about the internal details of the winemaking process. So, I applaud your leadership on this front.

Personally, I’d rather sell wine than BS. If the wine is good, it speaks for itself. If the wine is not good, the amount of BS it takes to sell it is much more than I could stomach.

Andrew,

I tend to agree…but a lot of consumers have limited means…so they will only purchase in years that are good to great. Or at least they will purchase more in those years. If a winery goes around saying, “2011 was a great vintage” then I can’t help but wonder if they are selling more wine. At least in the short term (long term that may come back to bite them in the ass).

That’s why I think the reason to disclose more or less is based on what allows you to sleep well at night (or, as you put it, the amount of BS your stomach can take).

Adam Lee
Siduri Wines

Exactly. However, if you are in it for the long haul, then it will not work to tell people that the bad years are just as good as the good ones. I look forward to feedback on 09 vs 10 Pinots in my offer. Sorry about putting that in your thread. If it bugs you at all, PM me and I will take it out.

No…of course not. We are all in this together. I once read that if there were something like 3% more daily wine drinkers in the United States there wouldn’t be enough wine currently being made for them all to drink. Not sure if those numbers still hold…but do know that our consumption level per person here in the US is very low. So our bigger goal, and best way to success, is to get more people drinking fine wine…your wine, my wine, Todd’s wine, etc. Whatever — we will all benefit.

Adam Lee
Siduri Wines

this is a good goal. i really appreciate winemakers who take this collective view.

Wow, what a cool way of creating a platform for discussion and introduction to a winery and its focus. Todd, great thinking.

I will add here that I have been drinking Adam’s Novy wines since the 2001 vintage and have posted numerous times over the years on my appreciation for his style for syrah. For me, which is why this thread interests me, I am most fond of his SLH based syrahs, coincidentally the feature of this offering. It’s these Novy wines I buy year after year and consistently try and promote because I believe they offer distinct terroir, something people from time to time will poo-poo about CA syrah but I firmly believe it. What I can offer here is that recently I worked through all three of these wines that are in the sampler above, so my notes below are quite contemporary to this topic. Adam, keep up the great work as for me, in the realm of CA syrah, you have helped lead on the forefront for the past decade and for that, you’re owed a big thank you for committing to this work.

• 2009 Novy Family Wines Syrah Susan’s Hill Vineyard - USA, California, Central Coast, Santa Lucia Highlands (3/6/2012)
  Open about 90 mins. Color is dark in the glass as I’d expect from this vineyard, which is essentially Pisoni Estate syrah. Listed alc is 14.7%. I drank the wine at a temp of about 65. Aromatically, graphite/metal shaving and slight heat. As the wine has sat out, it’s picked up a zesty edge, a blue fruit and dark plum, juicy, tarry and yet in the palate and finish, the molten-like quality that Susan’s seems to express. What I often got on earlier vintages of Susan’s was an apricot pit, something I find a bit of here again, too, what I think for Susan’s, like akin to the Rosella’s grapefruit, is a signature terroir for this vineyard. The finish closes out with the same juicy note, some black licorice and a touch of chocolate. The following day, with the wine pretty well slox oxed, there is some structure in the finish that I didn’t sense yesterday, a better emergence of a zesty and loamy quality, which I very much like. It adds a counterpoint to the fruit and gives it a youthful quality. This may edit for me a longer aging window, one that is longer than I offered last June in my last note. With that, I would say drink now (with a decant) but better in 2013 through 2015.
• 2009 Novy Family Wines Syrah Garys’ Vineyard - USA, California, Central Coast, Santa Lucia Highlands (2/25/2012)
  Opened last night. Tasting with a clean palate, no food paired for this note. Like the 2009 Rosella’s I drank last week, this wine started out last night the same way, tight and lean so the guidance here is the same as that bottle: aerate. This really helps flesh the wine out given the age of this bottle. The color of this wine is dark, although I think the Rosella’s is a touch darker. The nose contains a woodsy spice, along with some whole cluster and bacon fat. The palate is generous and tarry, with good depth of flavor, with the expected terroir of cooked meat/beef jerky and some teriyaki. Drinks a little more wound up than the Rosella’s, so I think this wine will take more time to reach its peak and live longer, too. Is there acid? Yes. Not with the grapefruit-like kind in the Rosella’s but more akin to a tarter note, perhaps what I referred to in my June 2011 note as ‘green apple’. It’s got that apple skin zestiness which really carries the finish, along with a focused licorice note and some chocolate from I suspect the new wood. In sum, this wine is still young and wrapped up but as I think about where this stacks in the last several Novy SLH syrahs, this wine has got the right stuffing and structure to really evolve into something high class. I’d say put these away until late 2013 and drink through 2016-2017.
• 2009 Novy Family Wines Syrah Rosella’s Vineyard - USA, California, Central Coast, Santa Lucia Highlands (2/23/2012)
  Open 3 nights, with this note being from the final night. Dark wine, nearly opaque. Smells very much like a Rosella’s, with the smoke, pepper, flowers and some oak. The palate thickened up a bit since the first night, when I thought it was too lean and subtle. This point is worth noting as this wine doesn’t show its stuffing without aeration, which is a similar comment I made from the last bottle I had this past June. Thus, aerate the wine if you want full enjoyment, as while there is not big structure here, the components of the wine get markedly better with air. Still shows the juicy side I mentioned in my note last year, with lots of grapefruit and a soil note, a loamy quality. The berry is also earthier in nature, blackberry, dark which cuts a broad path across the palate. I don’t see this Rosella’s vintage for Adam being a long ager, as it’s plush and big shouldered but it also retains the acid and an absence of any over-ripe qualities. Thus, I would say drink now (provided you decant) or age into 2013 and enjoy through 2015. Good work, Adam.

Posted from CellarTracker

Adam,

It is sooo great you are sharing your insight-I’ve enjoyed your wines for many years. You indicate in your opening – “Now, when we started Novy in 1998, we were hoping to jump on the next hot varietal in the United States — that being Syrah, of course. Yesh…that didn’t quite work out. But we love Syrah so that has remained a focus for Novy.” I too really wish we could turn back time and re-create Syrah’s image in this country so that it would have been better accepted in the market by now-maybe there were too few (great) wineries with national distribution strength to shape perception?

Two questions: What has changed in the last 10 years in terms of Syrah sales and what has your experience been with West Coast adoption of Syrah vs. East Coast. Are there any regional strongholds for Syrah?

I have had more than just a few of Adam’s wines over the years and I am still a buyer. I just had 3-1/2 cases delivered. Here are assorted tasting notes. I consider myself a strict grader when it comes to points, so remember that 88 pts, the lowest score I appear to have recorded, is still in the “excellent” range. The Rosellas Syrah is probably my favorite, but I do not seem to have writted a formal note about it. Notable spiciness with smooth fresh ground white pepper backing up plum and blueberry. Great balance, and outstanding wine.

• 2004 Novy Family Wines Syrah Russian River Valley - USA, California, Sonoma County, Russian River Valley (3/25/2012)
  Drunk this because it’s Adam Lee’s 18th wedding anniversary and seemed like as good an excuse as any to pick out a wine to drink. 90 minute decant. This wine has progressively improved since I bought a case in 2006. This might be my last bottle, which would be a shame because I’d like to see where it keeps going. Right now, it presents a smooth and complex fruit melange without being jammy. There’s discrenable plum, raspberry and cherry. A bit of pepper. No rough edges. Very smooth going down and easy to drink. There appears to remain a bit of unresolved tanins so it may have more life before it reaches its peak. Long finish. This bottle has been sitting without moving for a couple years at least, and there was plenty of sediment stuck to the bottom of the bottle, so decant carefully. (91 pts.)
• 2004 Novy Family Wines Syrah Russian River Valley - USA, California, Sonoma County, Russian River Valley (11/26/2011)
  I bought a case in 2006 but haven’t opened one for three years so I decided it was time to peek in and see how it was doing. The wine continues to evolve nicely, with smooth syrah pepper making a stronger showing and cherry flavor with just a tiny tinge of apparent sweetness from the fruit. The are other red fruits mixed in as well. Any woodiness is gone and the mouth feel is very smooth and excellent. The finish is moderate to long. I did not have the opportunity to decant this. I think it could have used a bit of air because it got better in the glass. (91 pts.)
• 2008 Novy Family Wines Zinfandel Papera Ranch - USA, California, Sonoma County, Russian River Valley (7/3/2011)
  This is a WOW zinfandel. I pulled this out of a case that I thought had only Novy Syrah, never looked at the label, and I went all the way through pouring it and tasting it before I realized that it was the zinfandel. This is a zinfandel with extra mineral and herb flavors behind the forceful fruit, without any of the apparent sweetness that comes from a lot of Cali zins with uber-fruit. Not that I dislike those, but this was a somewhat calmer version. There were tiny oak notes in the bacground, but you had to look for them. Average finish. The most important note on this is that we drank it with a dinner of jambalaya and honey glazed carrots, and it stood up to the moderately-spiced jambalaya which had some cayenne and fresh ground pepperto give it some heat. Moderate finish. (91 pts.)
• 2004 Siduri Pinot Noir Santa Lucia Highlands - USA, California, Central Coast, Santa Lucia Highlands (2/10/2010)
  These were only the second mailorder wines I ever purchased. The start on the road to hell. But it was a good start that is still holding up after a few years in the cellar. I really like the result here. The cola component that is so common in CA pinot is gradually fading to the background and now just adds complexity rather than smacking you in the mouth. It has been replaced by more cherry fruit, a nice mouth feel and some spiciness. The finish seems to be longer that it was in the past. I have no idea what this wine will be like with another 5 years of age, and maybe the naysayers will be right that the CA pinots will all fall apart, but right now it is moving along fine. It certainly disappeared fast enough from the dinner table. Although not a powerhouse, it was able to stand up nicely to a pork loin seared and then roasted with a rub of yellow curry powder and fresh ground garam masala. (90 pts.)
• 2004 Novy Family Wines Zinfandel Barbieri Vineyard - USA, California, Sonoma County, Russian River Valley (2/2/2009)
  Decanted and then sipped right away. At first, I was a bit disappointed because the wine was not giving up very much. Perhaps it was a bit too cold right out of the cellar. But it soon opened up with strong cherry flavors. Nine months ago, I described it as tart cherry, but today it was more like a deep, sweet, dark cherry flavor with a very long finish. There was some briar patch spice with a bit of vanilla in the background from the barrels. Overall an excellent wine. (88 pts.)
• 2004 Siduri Pinot Noir Santa Lucia Highlands - USA, California, Central Coast, Santa Lucia Highlands (12/1/2008)
  I’m getting more and more critical of California pinot, but this one is excellent. Really good balance with nice cherry fruit. Perhaps it is the patience of letting them get a bit of age. The sharp edges are gone, that annoying flavor that some say is mercaptan but reminds me of burning rubber is on the nose for 2 seconds and then gone forever. This went quite well with assorted light Italian appetizers at La Grolla in NYC. (90 pts.)
• 2004 Novy Family Wines Syrah Russian River Valley - USA, California, Sonoma County, Russian River Valley (11/18/2008)
  I’ve been drinking through a case of this for the past 2+ years. It is developing nicely. 30 minute decant. Red fruit is being augmented by pepper spice and a bit of background vanilla. Dark color with a very nice mouth feel. Develops more cherry flavor as it airs. No harsh or astringent tanins. A real bargain. (90 pts.)
• 2004 Siduri Pinot Noir Santa Lucia Highlands - USA, California, Central Coast, Santa Lucia Highlands (9/20/2008)
  This is an excellent CA pinot noir. Not at the top of the heap comparable to Aubert. Kistler or the like, but a well-crafted, balanced wine. Tart cherry and a bit (but not a lot) of minerals with some acidity but not too much. Color is light. Finish is longer than average. There is this flavor that I cannot describe that I notice in a lot of CA pinot noirs, especially the 2004s, that is not my favorite flavor, otherwise I would have rated in higher. The best I can say about that flavor is that it reminds me of rubber. I don’t think it is a flaw, but more likely is just a personal thing I would rather not be there. (88 pts.)
• 2004 Novy Family Wines Zinfandel Barbieri Vineyard - USA, California, Sonoma County, Russian River Valley (5/4/2008)
  Nose not that strong; color very dark read; palate is tart cherry, pepper and a bit of creamy vanilla. Finish is longer than average. Smooth mouth feel; tannins resolved with no astringency and no real bite. An excellent wine. Smoothes out even more two hours after opening. (89 pts.)
• 2004 Novy Family Wines Syrah Russian River Valley - USA, California, Sonoma County, Russian River Valley (3/7/2008)
  Popped, decanted and poured. Not ready. Should have read my prior note. Fruit wakes up gradually. Cherry, raspberry and blueberry. With spices. Finish moderate. Color dark mut red. On this go round, the alcohol was a bit hot. Finish moderate to long. No wood. Mouth feel good but not great. (89 pts.)
• 2004 Novy Family Wines Syrah Russian River Valley - USA, California, Sonoma County, Russian River Valley (9/2/2007)
  This time, I decided to treat it right. I decanted it about 2 hours before dinner, poured at a cool temperature. Drank with nice, thick, spice rubbed, grilled porterhouse with fresh corn and cauliflower. The wine had a strong fruit flavor on the palate, a mixture of bright red cherry and blueberry with a bit of sweet plum. BUT no sugar on the palate, just sweet fruit. A bit of pepper and spice, but after the decant the fruit wins out over the spice. Very nice dark color. Smooth mouth feel. Nose was mostly blueberries and other dark berries. This wine is not intensely “overextracted” (not my prefrred term) and would not qualify as pancake syrup to those who complain about Aussie shiraz. I like Aussie shiraz, but this was different. I had to go out so I only wanted a glass or two, so I poured half the bottle directly from this bottle into a 375 and immediately recorked it. I will finish it tomorrow and update the post. I do not remember what I paid for this, but I do not think it was a lot. I would say anything under $35 for this wine is a good price. Anyone know what I paid when I bought it direct from the winery? (91 pts.)
• 2004 Novy Family Wines Syrah Russian River Valley - USA, California, Sonoma County, Russian River Valley (4/7/2007)
  I’ve had a few of these and they are excellent. I have to stop drinking them so they can age. Nice color nice red fruton the palate. A bit overpowered by the Turley Zin but it still held up well. (89 pts.)
• 2004 Novy Family Wines Syrah Russian River Valley - USA, California, Sonoma County, Russian River Valley (3/6/2007)
  First of all, my wife’s initial response was “I like it” and her second response was “I really like it!” That’s alway a good thing when the answer to her inevitable “Do we have more of this?” is “Yes dear, we have 9 more bottles.” Decanted for only about a half hour because I was late coming home and my wife’s recovery from a broken leg precludes her going downstairs to rummage in the cellar. Next time I’ll remember to bring the wine upstairs in the morning. This wine is a strong melange of blue and red fruits with a creamy very nice mouth feel and a moderate finish. There was some very specific cherry on the nose and palate. Not very much spice at first, but it that was coming through at 2-1/5 hours after decanting. There was a tiny appearance of a sweet taste, probably the fruit not the sugar, with an equally tiny bit of alcohol in the nose, but not so as to be annoying. Less extracted than the Schild Estate Barossa Shiraz I had a few weeks ago. If you want very delicate and subtle, this is probably not your style but I liked it a lot. No negative characteristics. Accidentally left about an ounce in the glass when I went to bed and I drank it for breakfast just to check it. Not bad considering a night on the kitchen table in an open glass. Much more spice but the fruit is fading. (90 pts.)

Posted from CellarTracker

Stephen,

I have had a hard time drawing conclusions about Syrah sales…as much as I have tried. Much speculation has occured around styles and how consumers are confused about these styles. But I am not convinced that has much to do with sluggish Syrah styles (doesn’t seem to confuse people on Chardonnay, for example). Honestly, I think that sometimes certain things become popular, seemingly inexplicably (Malbec) and that often requires that other things to become “non-hot.” As far as my experience with sales…we sell our Syrah…if it is under $20…or if it is a single-vineyard from the SLH (as in this offering). The stuff in-between seems stuck.

Some states sell well, others not…but I really haven’t seen an East Coast/West Coast difference…at least not anything definitively. I think it is more a question of whether or not an individual distributor gets behind Syrah or not.

Adam Lee
Novy & Siduri