HdR Syrah Shootout

Notes, anyone? Anyone? Rumors abound that Four Vines came in first out of 43 wines.

Yes, four vines won the shoot out. I believe the Syrah was from Arroyo Grande- full and peppery.

Kimberly, were you and John pouring?

I hear Stillman’s syrah won fourth place. Stillman Brown would be the guy in pajama pants and toenail polish.

Hey watch it missy! Stillman is a very cool dude that makes great wine! For the unaware, Stillman won the HdR Syrah shootout last year. To take 4th this year is a testament to his talent. And he’s smart with a great wit! Go Red Zeppelin!

[rofl.gif]

We love Stillman. Just pointing out that he’s easy to find in a crowd.

And I hear his syrah was a big hit with the winemakers in attendance this year. Clone 877, was it?

Here you go, (from Stillman):

"As you doubtless recall, our 2005 La Mort Du Roi/Black Zeppelin won last year’s Syrah Shootout at Hospice du Rhone - first place out of 44 wines, (all vintage 2005) judged blind by 72 winemakers. Today we came in 4th out of 45 with a wine from a completely different appellation and vineyard, the 2006 Stillman Arroyo Seco Clone 877. Since this year’s #1 wine was the 2006 Four Vines One Tree Hill, made by awesome friends of ours, we will happily surrender the winner’s (itchy) trophy garment, the ‘Coat du Rhone’ as well as the commemorative barrel, at Saturday’s farewell barbeque.

But wait 'til next year!"

Le Roi est mort, vive le Roi!

Kimberly, were you and John pouring?

We were pouring Mary and it was a lot of fun and we are coming back next year!

Hey, you will be glad to know that I saw the “Kimberly’s” very up front and prominent at Villa Creek (restaurant) tonight when I stopped in for dinner tonight. I told the bartender he needed to take a taste of it; that I thought he might like it.

Great to meet you and John. Good times.

Thanks Jeff, also nice to meet you BEB. As you might have heard I entered our Kimberly’s Syrah into the Syrah Shoot-Out and John went and tasted through all the Syrah’s (50 Syrahs in 60 mins, not easy) looking for ours and no dice. [blush2.gif] He could not find it and felt like a Loser, so when it was over he asked the woman which one was the Cabot and she said it never showed up, got lost in the mail!!! [shrug.gif] Total bummer, with the coast of the wine and shipping gone, at least John enjoyed the lunch and other winemakers and all the Syrah’s. So, we went to Villa Creek for dinner on Saturday and the sommelier came over to help us choose the perfect bottle for our meals and I decided to inquire about the Syrah Shoot-Out. And, he says, “Oh, that is what that 6-pack shipper is in my office.” So he brings it out and asks to taste it, curious about Humboldt Syrah, he tastes it, likes it and orders 2 cases to pour by the glass. [cheers.gif] So, what seemed like fail was a win in the end! We are honored to join the long list of Syrah’s at Villa Creek.

@ the risk of inviting overt criticism and truly negative commentary how legit are competitions like the HdR Syrah Shootout? i have heard a few things…

It is what it is. I participated but its mostly winemakers and you literally have one hour to taste through 43 wines. I heard it was more like 60 last year. Its fun but doesn’t tell you a whole lot. The winner did stand out from the pack as it was peppery and less sweet than most of the others. Frankly, I was surprised it won but maybe it did because it was so different.

I’m not allowed to hang out with Stillman anymore… they wouldn’t tell me where I was last time and were threatening to shoot whoever came to pick me up. [shrug.gif]

For compliance purposes, they do have to shoot someone in order to keep it legal. Otherwise they could not call it the “Syrah Shootout.” [help.gif]

Well, my pallate was pretty shot after tasting 40+ young, high octane syrahs in 40 minutes. Now that’s work! [heat.gif] [d_training.gif]