2002 Copain Syrah x 3

I recently assessed my swelling inventory of Copain and realized it was time to check in on some older vintages. Thought it would be interesting revisit these at Age 10. So I pulled a few cases from storage and started sampling them with family over the weekend. I’ll go out on a limb and say I think 2002 was one of the best vintages for Copain’s syrahs, and these three wines (Hawks Butte, Broken Leg and Cailloux & Coccinelle) were each so different and yet all were outstanding. While more recent vintages are clearly more Rhone-like in character, with more acidity and dialed-back fruit, I think Wells was successful in the past in toeing the line between ripeness of fruit, balance, structure, and expression of site. In fact, with a few exceptions (notably, Hacienda Secoya), I always preferred his pre-2006 syrahs to the pinots, though now I feel his pinots have stepped up their game. Anyway, on to the wines…

2002 Copain Hawks Butte Syrah, Yorkville Highlands
Debut vintage for this site, and I can’t remember the last time I tried this, so it was probably shortly after release, maybe in 2004. Surprisingly restrained, especially on the nose, given how I usually associate this vineyard with a pronounced black olive/tapenade and mineral character. Much less expressive than in its youth, or compared to more recent vintages, this has settled down nicely and is probably at its peak (assuming you like your syrahs with a bit of age on them). For those keeping score, a solid 91.

2002 Copain Broken Leg Syrah, Anderson Valley
Debut vintage again, and unfortunately this vineyard had a short run with Copain before their fruit started going to A Donkey & A Goat, IIRC. From what I remember, RP gave this a ridunculous score, and this was $25 to boot. Interestingly, upon tasting the 2010 Baker Ranch with Jim & Ezra at the winery this past December, we were talking about how rare it was to make syrah from Anderson Valley, and we were all brainstorming to try to come up with another one (there are a number in Mendocino, such as Alder Springs, but far fewer in AV proper). Funny that this was one of them, but I guess that predated them both! Anyway, this had a killer nose of roasted meat, blackberries with a floral lift (think violets). Medium- to full-bodied with more restrained fruit than the nose suggested. Well balanced with a long finish and plenty of structure left, suggesting there’s more life left in this bottle. 93 pts.

2002 Copain Cailloux & Coccinelle Syrah, Walla Walla Valley
Another “has-been” from the Copain portfolio that I always took a liking to and sometimes wish was still around. Often mistakenly credited with being from Washington, I believe most of the fruit came from the Oregon side of the valley, hence the lack of any proper mention of statehood on the label. I was very pleased to see this showing so well because I went deep on the '04 since this was the last vintage, and a bottle I recently opened was a total mess. While I still hope that was an off bottle, this vintage was showing quite well. Nose of boysenberries and some iron shavings. Probably the biggest of the three, with noticeable tannins to match the rich black fruit. Developed a meatier edge with aeration and really seemed to improve quite a bit over the course of the evening, suggesting this is in no danger of fading. Apparently this vineyard was planted in a former stony riverbed, and I remember Wells making comparisons to CdP, which after tasting this, I would say are not far off the mark. 93 pts.

Overall, a diverse and impressive collection of syrahs. I was happy to realize that I need not be worried about drinking these up, as IMO, they are ageing very well.

Cheers,
Scott

You raised my curiosity, so I opened my last 02 Copain Cailloux & Coccinelle Syrah with a spinach and feta pizza. What an interesting bottle. I’ll agree with your notes adding black licorice and a distinct odor of freshly picked sticky cannabis buds. This has always been a favorite of mine with its olfactory fireworks. I wish Wells would have continued making the C&C. These wonderful aromas with a bit less syrup on the palate would be impressive. I have one each 03 and 04 left. The 04 was so good upon release I could not keep my hands off them and drank all but one. Might have been the right decision? I’ll open my last 04 soon. Thanks for the notes. [drinkers.gif]

Hi David, thanks for chiming in. I would agree with you that “syrupy” is a very good descriptor, and this was even more evident on day 2. This wine has a lot going on and is so different from the other Copain syrahs, though I wish it had a bit more verve. My preference among the three goes to the Broken Leg.

Cheers,
Scott

Thanks for the trip down memory lane. Unfortunately it seems I drank all my 02’s (and 03’s) of these back in 2010.

Curious as to the ‘mess’ issue w/ the 2004 C&C. I opened my next to last 04 a month or so back and it tasted pretty overwhelmingly of olive brine. I stuck with it for a while, but my wife found it intolerable and we opened something else. Showed pretty much the same the next day. BTW, Tanzer’s note from mid 2006 says - “This wine has a pH of 4.1 after some acidification, notes Guthrie.”

Based on his narrowing focus, I’m not sure Wells would make this wine again even if the fruit were available to him.

Since we are chatting about older Copain Syrahs, I opened an 04 Broken Leg last week. A dark, brooding hulk of a wine. It has the size and weight on the palate you’d expect from a Wells wine in 04, but not the overt syrupy texture. Very tight and frankly, stern. Don’t get me wrong, I believe it’s worthy, just unyielding at present. I’ve one left and as an experiment I will let it rest for several more years just to see what happens. [drinkers.gif]

Hi David,

Thanks for the update on the '04 BL. I’d pulled one of these from storage but I will let her sleep awhile. I really liked the '02 BL, probably my favorite of the these three syrahs. I will try to get to the Eaglepoint and Garys soon so I can round out the vintage, and post an update later.

cheers,
scott