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!
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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