Syrah Wine Napa Valley California

WINE TALK
#1

The 2012 Keenan Syrah grapes were grown in the Coombsville region of south eastern Napa. The grapes were picked late in the season, and then whole berry fermented in small half ton boxes. After fermentation the wine was aged in French and American oak barrels for seventeen months.

The nose of the wine offers aromas of black cherry and blackberry along with underlying floral nuances. The texture is soft, yet the wine maintains wonderful structure. This is a versatile wine that will accompany a wide array of dishes.

#2

How does it pair with

#3

Afraid of a little competition?? neener

#4

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#5

Hmmmmmm, he has similar (exact) posts here, too…

Where are your Snooth postings? [snort.gif]

#6

Nothing to hide here…
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#7

What is coming out of Napa relative to Syrah that we should be talking about? I mean, back years ago when I bought Lewis, I dug those syrahs, but I sold off all my Lewis a long time ago as all the richness, alcohol and wood was a turn off. What else is there then? I’m not trolling here, I’m looking for some winery names that we can discuss.

#8

Frank,

You need to try Enfield Wine Co. Trust me.

#9

no, just, no


rarely in the mood for Syrah, if I am, I want CR; accept no substitutes. [cheers.gif]

#10

CR?

L-M I could understand.

#11

Myriad, Apsara, Quivet, Campesino

#12

Scherrer, Jaffurs, Arcadian

#13

The OP discussed Napa. I agree Myriad, Quivet and Apsara are good Northern CA. Syrah that often have notes like a northern Rhone. Since some posts listed SB wines, Jaffurs is a very fruit forward SB Syrah, and they make some nice ones - IIRC also a nice Petite Sirah. My friend Marc makes a nice SB Syrah under his DV8 label.

While their wines also have Syrah, no one’s mentioned Saxum (perhaps because the OP was about Napa), but I am still a sucker for Saxum’s GSM wines (sometimes with a touch of Zin).

#14

Jaffurs and Arcadian are not Napa

#15

Enfield is also Coombsville.

#16

Neither is Scherrer but who’s keeping track?

#17

2nd for Enfield. Stellar in balanced style.

#18

John and Buek, tell me about Enfield, as I know it has been talked about here in other posts but I’d like to learn about it from you.

Rat, I have had Macario’s wines via Falltacular. I’ve not heard from him this year but I hope he comes in soon with a commitment for the event. I had forgot his wines were made in Carneros. Never had the Mike Smith wines.

I had honestly forgot about Carneros. Years ago, I used to dig Saintsbury.

#19

I was trying to keep Roger from going 0fer… [snort.gif]

#20

Frank,

I have a bunch of Enfield Syrah notes on CellarTracker, back to the 2010. See some below:

2010 Enfield Wine Co. Syrah Haynes Vineyard - USA, California, Napa Valley, Coombsville (12/2/2013)
Meat, black fruit, flowers & road tar all come together in a balanced, structured package. It has plenty of persistence, and is never overblown. This is another outstanding California Syrah that can stand with Arnot-Robert, Wind Gap, Rhys and ESJ as new world adherents to old world style and substance!

2011 Enfield Wine Co. Syrah Haynes Vineyard - USA, California, Napa Valley, Coombsville (8/19/2014)
Needing something after my first choice of bottles was corked, I grabbed the first thing at hand. Lucky me! This wine was still quite open, with red/black fruit, a nice earthiness and some spice and herb background notes. The barest hint of meatiness (which I have gotten in the 2010 in sapdes), but overall a really harmonious, enjoyable, balanced wine. This was a pleasure to drink.

2013 Enfield Wine Co. Syrah Haynes Vineyard - USA, California, Napa Valley, Coombsville (8/11/2016)
Sampled over two nights (so far), and it was even more interesting on the second night. Right on opening there was a bit of a wall. The wine needed an hour of air to start showing more than a monolithic, dense personality. It slowly opened up to reveal meaty, tar, herbal and dark red fruit tones. I was late getting to it, so I recorked the bottle and put it aside for a night. Well tonight it was another thing entirely. Gone was the monolithic presence, replaced by a nuanced, floral accented archetype of Syrah. All the meat and tar was still there, but the fruit was simultaneously riper and more elegant, and the overall balance on point through the finishing tannin. The wine appears to be poised for positive evolution in the cellar, allowing the complexity and nuance of night two to come to the fore.

I have not opened the 2014 yet, and the one time I opened the '12 it was like a barrel sample.