TN: 2011 Riverain Syrah Cardiac Hill Bennett Valley aka Nordhoff Does It

For those that have been in on Steve Nordhoff’s wine project as it has tracked along, I was pleased to see a bottle of this come to dinner last night, then to finish it tonight. I have known Steve for several years, meeting him via the old E-Bob forum that I no longer vist but out of that forum, I made a great friend. I’ve watched him nurse this project along (which includes a Napa cab) and it’s been a long journey. This comes off of Jim Mack’s Jemrose property, along Bennett Valley road, where it’s cool and windy on many days. The cool climate comes through here. I tried this wine over last summer, when it was a barrel sample brought to a cab wine dinner. I liked the wine then, intrigued by the low alc and blue fruit. The wine has evolved since that time. Hell, I remember further back helping to sort the fruit up at Black Sears when it was coming out of the picking bins on Halloween weekend 2011, as we sorted out some of the damage left behind by the challenging '11 harvest. I got my hands dirty that day, as I watched the fruit get processed by Will Segui and the team, then it headed to tank. So now, here we are. I judged this wine fairly, tasting as I would any other bottle I’d yank out of my cellar, and I told him I would judge it straight up. This wine sees no new oak, there ain’t any oak influence here. The booze is low, the color is ripping dark and there is mineral and black cherry. Think cool climate. Those of you who drink CA syrah will judge this wine for yourself but I am proud of Steve for staying the course and getting this to bottle. You did it, man!

  • 2011 Riverain Syrah Cardiac Hill Bennett Valley - USA, California, Sonoma County, Bennett Valley (2/5/2013)
    Bottle open 24 hours, sat under cork after last night’s dinner, with about 1/4 left for tonight. I believe the alc on this is 12.8%, and there’s no heat in this wine anywhere so that to me seems on target. Aromatically, this shows a real signature of black pepper, cool climate as Jim Mack’s property is along Bennett Valley Road. Light whiff of purple flower, smoke and stem, as this contains about 1/3rd whole cluster, although it doesn’t punctuate the wine as the pepper has that role here. The palate is flush with inky, dark fruit, which is similar to the wine’s color–very dark, a glass stainer, like Switchback or Carlisle petite color. Yet, with the low alc, the fruit doesn’t get ripe in tone. Instead, it’s similar to some of the Copain stuff, where I find deep color and concentration, yet the fruit expresses an earthy character, like black cherry, dark berry that is without the sweet ripeness. A real inky expression of syrah. There is some light tannin and astringence that hangs over the fruit, although the texture is fairly smooth and pretty resolved. Black olive in the finish, along with some tar, garrigue (stems?) and a light rocky note. I’ll give an ITB-like disclaimer, as I know the owner of this label well, and he’s a close friend, and to disquiet any assertion I sweetened this note or jazzed it up, I flat out did not. I wrote my note as I found the wine, an inky, dark syrah that really shows a deep core of earthy, food friendly fruit with a nice balance and mineral in the finish. It paired dynamite with my pizza last night and is doing just great with no food tonight–just a laptop and a big 'ol Schott Zwiesel stem. For a drink window, now through 2015 would be my recommendation. Good on you, Steve. FWIW, this wine is made my Thomas Brown, who doesn’t make syrah so it was cool to see how he crafted this up.

Posted from CellarTracker

Wow! Congrats, Steve!

Thanks for the kind words. After fretting for many months, I am quite happy how the wine turned out.

Congratulations, Steve!!!

Congrats! Can you explain the meaning/origin of the name?

Hey Steve,

Congratulations on bottling your 2011 Riverain Cardiac Hill Syrah. Glad to hear that it turned out well. Can’t wait to try the wine. BTW I just came across this in our contract but being a lawyer I am sure you were aware of item 6 in the contract:

"6. Wine Purchase. Purchaser will give 6 bottles of wine made from these grapes to the Seller at no cost. Additional purchases of wines produced from these grapes will be at terms dictated by Purchaser." [cheers.gif] [wink.gif]

Lol

Jim D.

Riverain is a French word for “near the river” or a “local”. My partners bought a house in Rutherford near the Napa river, thus the name.

Jim M.,

It just needs labels my friend, I even have a mag for you :slight_smile:

Very nice, Stevie. … Did you forget to say you had a mag for Jim D. too?? [cheers.gif]

Nice write up Frank & congratulations to Steve!!

Super excited for you Steve, I can’t imagine the effort to get to this point.

FMIII - which copain does it remind of? Hawks Butte?

Nice-congrats Steve

Congrats Steve. [cheers.gif]

Now for the $64,000 question. Will we see this at Falltacular? [worship.gif] [worship.gif] [worship.gif]

Yes - Brig…get him a label!

Looking forward to this. Nice work!

Done! My label won’t be Yamada quality but will do the trick.

And now Steve will wear a winemaker badge too. Big day!

Ok, if it not totally bottle shocked, I will bring one. Thanks for the kind words.

Bottle shock?

Man up, Nordhoff!

Not so much a particular cuvee, but I was wanting to convey how the Copain syrahs can really get fruit and depth into the syrah cuvees without having the high alcohol levels. I suppose the darkest Copain I have had in the past year or so was the 2008 Garys’. Thompson too, although that one is not made anymore. Steve’s wine was a really staining.

It’s feeling like a syrah night here in the OC, too. Cold!

Ha, I opened a Shiraz tonight! I had 1/2" on hail on the street before lunch.

Nothing compared to our brethren in the NE, they are getting hammered right now. Hot totties of them.