We made some Syrah. It is all from Deux Vert vineyard which is nestled in between Shea and Willakenzie vineyards in the Yamhill-Carlton AVA, so northern Willamette Valley. They grow Viognier there too.
2007 was our first vintage for Biggio Hamina Cellars and we came out swinging with Melon de Bourgogne, Pinot blanc, Pinot noir and Syrah. Syrah from the northern Willamette Valley… not some Smuckery jam fest, rs laden, monolithic attack, no back end or finish, New World creation. No. A proper Syrah befit for a Lady or Gentlemen who appreciates Crozes-Hermitage and the Northern Rhone. 100% whole cluster too boot, and in a cold vintage.
We called it Syrah. In future years we name it after the amount of viognier included (14 and 18 percent). It sold slow, it unwound slow and it tastes like Syrah. In fact, Josh Raynolds told me it was textbook Syrah. So I’ve got that going for me, which is nice.
We bottled it after 12 months in barrel and it remained closed for business for years. We did keep back one barrel that was twenty percent Viognier, thank you Michael Alberty, who said if I bottled this on it’s own that he would buy 13 cases for his shop… This became the famed “XX” ( I opened the last case to use three for the Jason Hagen fundraiser). It was soon clear that I needed to up the vintage time in barrel as well as increase the amount of Viognier I was putting in the blend.
In 2008 we called the Syrah, “XIV” as it was 14% Viognier. This spent 20 months in barrel. In 2009 we called it “XVII” and it spent 57 months in barrel. By this time i knew two things. Firstly that I was done making Syrah… it is so misplanted in the New World it seems all rather pointless. Now before you go and name a handful of producers who do a good job, please, please realize that this is the tip of the quality iceberg and underneath the waterline is a massive amount of pure shit that just ruins Syrah’s good name. Secondly, it wants time in barrel. Lots of time in the barrel. So that is what we did.
The offer: 1x 2007, 2x 2008, 3x 2009 and I can make 7 total of these six packs. The 07 and 08 are $25 each, the 09 is $40. Total is $195… but the offer is $162 including shipping.
You know what to do. Thanks.