Im still triggered by the use of word Kaannos 
And where is this magical place?
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Every once in a while, you stand in a vineyard and you feel something. Which is to say, you experience that vineyard in a visceral way. Maybe it’s vibrations, maybe it’s imagination, maybe it’s a hastily eaten breakfast burrito. Whatever the reason(s), it remains a moving experience. Not to sound too woo-woo, but it’s as if the vineyard is speaking to you.
If we were to broadly sum up why we make the wines we do, it’s because the places where these grapes grow are places that speak to us. Both when we are standing in them, and when the fruit is in the fermenter. It’s tough to put a finger on, but it’s undeniable.
Chase Vineyard
Redwood Valley, Mendocino County
Easy to overlook from afar. Impossible to forget once you’ve stood amongst these heroic and historic head-trained vines of petite sirah, carignan, and zinfandel. For years, Lorne Chase implored us to visit the vineyard his grandfather planted 80 years ago in Mendocino’s Redwood Valley. For years we put it off. Lorne’s a character and a humble farmer who calls a spade a spade. His persistence and positivity eventually got Nigel in the car and headed north of Ukiah to pay this vineyard a visit.
It wasn’t quite like a burning bush and a heavenly voice, but it wasn’t far off either. There was - there is - something special about this place. Varieties and vine age and root stock and trellising (or lack thereof) aside, this vineyard possesses an energy that is impossible
Nothing Petite About It
We call petite sirah by another name in Australia - durif. It can be hard as nails when young - dense, tannic, and incredibly long-lived - but when aged? Well, let’s just say one of the most memorable older bottles Nigel and I have pulled the cork on was a 1979 Ridge Vineyards Lytton Estate Petite Sirah (shout out to Press Restaurant for their awesome list). These are just incredible wines - otherworldly - and Lorne’s old vine fruit has the potential to live up to those bottlings.
But here’s where the story takes a twist. Somehow, to our great delight, Nigel managed to turn Lorne’s old vine petite sirah into a beguilingly silky wine with incredible aromatic lift and none of the harsh, drying tannins requiring decades in the cellar. I won’t pretend to know how he did it, but he captured both power and elegance. Those hands. Grapes are like putty in them.
“The 2023 Petite Sirah, from Chase Vineyard in Redwood Valley, is outrageously beautiful. Black cherry, graphite, lavender, spice, menthol and crème de cassis scream out of the glass. Deep and unctuous, the 2023 possesses mind-blowing balance and tons of personality. Above all else, I am so impressed with how elegant the tannins are for Petite. This is a fabulous effort from Nigel and Shae Kinsman. What a wine!”
**97pts, Antonio Galloni,
The Wine
By now, you know we do things at a human scale. Sometimes obnoxiously so. It doesn’t always make sense, but it’s always damn good wine.
This debut is a concise but memorable 50 cases of powerfully elegant petite sirah. Co-fermented with ~2% old-vine carignan, we raised it in barrel for 18 months and bottled it last May without fining or filtration. It will be available in single bottles only. Blink and you’ll miss it.
See you in your inboxes soon.
All our thanks.
Shae & Nigel
ABERRO OFFER
2023 Petite Sirah 2025 Chenin Blanc 2023 Syrah
Monday, May 18, 9am Pacific
Access for previous Aberro supporters
Tuesday, May 19, 9am Pacific
Access for all other list members
Has anyone tried these wines?
Jeb and Antonio did =) Tonight, I was planning to open a Syrah from last year. I expect it to be stellar.
I opened a 2020 Aberro syrah this weekend. Great stuff. 1/2 is in a 375ml in the fridge for later this week.
I just have too much wine - I guess this needs to go in the give others a chance thread!
I cracked open the 2022 Le Mani Vineyard Syrah last night. It was wonderful after about 2 hours of air; drank 1/2 the bottle. Took another taste this morning, it’s even better. It’s worth picking up for those who like cool-climate Syrah.
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Kudos to you taking one for the team and having a sip this morning.
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Placed an order for everything in the lineup yesterday. For me, it’s virtually impossible to pass on anything coming from Nigel and Shae.
I was a bit surprised to see the (1) bottle limit for the Petite Sirah. Assuming that’s consistent for everyone, I can appreciate the presumed mindset of getting this into as many hands as possible.
I was surprised to see Petit Sirah already sold out. Sounds like the prioritization of Aberro buys is different from the KE cabs.
The one bottle limit is a result of smaller production Nigel mentioned.
Did anyone get more than one bottle allocated? My only gripe is that apparently they cannot consolidate shipping with the rest of the release, and the shipping will be $50 for the one bottle. So effectively a $150 bottle.
Only got one - in in the exact same boat. $50 to ship an $85 bottle is a little much…
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This was the reason I passed.