Well looks like Aberro the Chenic Blanc and a Milton-Freewater Syrah will be released early next week on May 12/13th. I placed an order for Aberro last year and popped one of the bottles open and it was a delight. The Syrah will be new for me.
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Last October I tasted these two wines with Nigel up in Napa- they are both stellar representations of the varietals. Still not sure if I will bite on purchasing because I would rather spend my cash on his cabernetâs, but its tempting for sure.
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Live for repeat Aberro buyers.
$255 for a three pack of 2022 Aberro Syrah and $165 for a three pack of 2024 Aberro Chenin Blanc.
More info below:
In a strange twist on a U2 lyric, we have found what we werenât looking for.
The 2020 wildfires had everyone in a scramble, including us. Knowing we wouldnât bottle anything from Napaâs 2020 vintage, and that our meagre library stocks wouldnât offer the lifeline we needed, I packed Nigel on a plane to Washington to see if warm introductions from our Pacific Northwest friends might land us some compelling Walla Walla cabernet to bridge the gap that 2023 would bring.
As fate would have it, wildfires broke out near Walla Walla just as Nigel landed that day. Already on the ground, he kept to his schedule of vineyard visits, even as the likelihood of a smoke-free harvest diminished by the minute.
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A quick jaunt across the Oregon border stopped Nigel in his tracks. Vineyard after vineyard covered in baseball-sized rocks. It was as if the Southern RhĂ´ne had decided to stake its claim on the little town of Milton-Freewater. Walking these vineyards for the afternoon with local vineyard manager Damon LaLonde left an indelible impression on Nigel (and surprisingly enough, he managed escape without rolling an ankle).
Returning to Napa, and the utter chaos and uncertainty that 2020 was, brought no relief, but the image of those stonesâand the syrah vines growing out of themâstayed with Nigel. Throughout that fall, the Santa Barbara syrah that ultimately found its way into the winery (the only wine we bottled from that vintage) taunted him. What might syrah from The Rocks reveal itself to be in these fermenters?
As normalcy slowly returned to the places ravaged by fire, and the project of Aberro came into focus, we were drawn back to The Rocks. There, we locked in fruit from Le Mani Vineyard, a spectacular site overseen by the formidable team of David Wanek and Damon LaLonde. After two years of courting fruit from this distinctive terroir, we would have our Rocks syrah after all.
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The Rocks District
The Rocks District of Milton-Freewater is truly unique. It is the only winegrowing region in North America whose boundary is determined by a specific soil profile. Basalt cobbles, eroded from the nearby Blue Mountains and scattered across a six-square-mile fan by the Walla Walla River, make for a most compelling terroir.
These rocks force roots deep, prevent erosion, remove the need for cover crop, and radiate heat. Everything about this singular terroir is remarkable.
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Have you met the neighbors?
Whether reading about The Rocks District rings any bells or not, your presence on this mailing list means youâve likely heard of, or enjoyed, wine from some other incredible wineries in the region. Most notable is Christophe Baronâs Cayuse. The sine qua non of the region (literallyâŚthatâs not a reference to SQN), Baronâs commitment to the area in the mid-1990s put it on the map.
This insightful two-part article from Lisa Perrott-Brown articulates a compelling narrative for Baronâs impact, and Johan Berglundâs photography showcases the regionâs singular terrain.
Another familiar name to many of you is a former Napa Valley colleague, Todd Alexander. Todd ventured north in 2014 to craft his Force Majeure wines. Very quickly, Toddâs wines have become benchmarks for the region.
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Their Notes on Our Wine
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Jonathan Cristaldi, Decanter, 98pts, February 2025
âThe aromatics are intense and gorgeous. Thereâs black cherry fruit, meaty intensity with white pepper and black accurate charcuterie notes, and candied violets with the suavest and succulent texture. This wine is so gorgeous and impressive, with such beautiful dark fruit intensity and this saline-mineral intensity with power and levity. It has the best of the old world and the new world. Itâs otherworldly.â
Jeb Dunnuck, 97pts, April 2025
âFermented with 20% stems and aged in barrel, the 2022 Aberro Syrah from Le Mani Vineyard in The Rocks District delivers a killer nose of blackberries, game, lavender, and ground pepper. Full-bodied, deep, and rich, with a plush and layered texture, this upfront, ripe, sexy wine will drink beautifully over the coming 15 years. This is a new endeavor for Kinsman, and itâs an absolutely brilliant Syrah that readers should jump on. There are a tiny 296 cases produced. Drink 2025-2040â
Antonio Galloni, Vinous 96pts, December 2024
âThe 2022 Syrah is a total stunner. It emerges from The Rocks District, an emerging AVA straddling Oregon and Washington State that is proving to be especially well-suited to RhĂ´ne varieties. I honestly canât say I have a ton of experience with this appellation, although I certainly would like to. As for the Aberro Syrah, well, it is fabulous. Pliant and dense, the 2022 boasts a core of dark-toned fruit, licorice, lavender and dried herbs. It blossoms beautifully over time, showing exceptional balance and class to burn. Drink 2025-2034â
Lest We Forget The Chenin
What we love most about Aberro Chenin is how it connects us with you. You chill it, pull the cork, enjoy it, and then text us a picture or tag us on Instagram. In a world of âcellar treasures,â it is so refreshing to hear from friends enjoying a bottle of ours off the rip! For all its sheer deliciousness, the fact that a Diamond Mountain Chenin Blanc exists is worth diving into.
The former Reverie site on Diamond Mountain is an old, terraced vineyard drenched in sunlight at 800 feet elevation. The contoured rows cling to frighteningly steep west-facing slopes of decomposed volcanic ash. Along the vineyardâs southern border with Diamond Creek, Nigel made the bold decision to remove cabernet sauvignon and plant chenin blanc. Not content with just one block of chenin, Nigel planted a spot of chenin in the former Von Strasser Vineyard. We now proudly grow a noble white wine from these two mountainous sites, long known for sinewy red wines.
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In ClosingâŚ
If youâve read this far, we thank you. Frankly, weâd much prefer to have you all around one big table to share these wines in person. An email will never do justice to our enthusiasm for these wines or our gratitude for your support of Aberro and Kinsman Eades.
You have our profound thanks.
Shae & Nigel
ABERRO OFFER First Come, First Served
Monday, May 12, 9am Pacific
Access for previous Aberro supporters
Tuesday, May 13, 9am Pacific
Access for all other list members
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Jeez shipping is insane. Wish they offered ground. Oh well, wines are damn good, but would love the option in the future.
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Shipping + tax, adds almost $100 to get it to NYC. I too, would appreciate ground ha.
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Ground was not better.
I was looking at $110 to ship (ground) a magnum and a 3 pack from CA to WA.
Iâve never complained about shipping costs but this is insane.
We need someone in this forum who works in logistics to help all of âusâ out and get them a shipping deal
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First three to Chicago is $66, next three are $34. Wish we could consolidate with the SVD from earlier.
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Yes! But then to add another 3 of the syrah was another $66! I donât get itâŚ
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My guess is that theyâre rolling their full cost of packaging, storage, freight, etc into this number.
All that aside, for them to charge $66.76 to ship one magnum via Ground from CA to Seattle is wild. It almost makes the nearly $50 to ship a 3 pack seem cheap.
Anyways, for the first time in my life strictly due to shipping costs Iâm out.
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Yeah shipping made it a pass for me too. Once it crosses over $100 all-in itâs not worth it to me right now.
Also, hate to keep piling on, but why is shipping taxable? Seems crazy to me.
Probably because it becomes a separate package.
So hereâs a quick question for everyone - If they simply charged 20 or 30 bucks a bottle more and included freight, would you be OK with that?
I believe this varies by state but it is a MN law that if the item is taxable, the shipping is also taxable.
I think Rajesh hit it on the head, its the all-in price I care about.
So at what price âall inâ would you be a buyer? Just curious . . .
Cheers
Talk to the Franchise tax board about this. Pretty sure it is the handling portion that is taxable
No, Iâd still be out as this makes an $85/bottle Syrah now a $105-$115/bottle Syrah.
It is the âall inâ price for me. For the syrahs, that turned out to be $106/bottle, which was fine for me. Taking out taxes, the price per bottle is $99 (wine and shipping).
I know there has been a lot of talk about shipping, including whether that cost really goes to a third party or the winery or a combination. Easier to just look at the all-in cost/bottle. One reason I like private sales/trades.