TN: Drew Syrah PerliVnyd '12...(short/boring)

[TomHill]

Cracked this open w/ dinner the other night:

1. Drew Syrah PerliVnyd/MendoRidge (13.7%; www.DrewWines.com) Elk 2012: Med.dark color; strong very spicy/blueberry/Syrah some earthy/dusty/herbal light toasty/oak some restrained/elegant lovely nose; fairly tart/lean rather mineral/earthy/graphite bit ozone/pungent strong blueberry/Syrah/quite spicy/rosemary/thyme almost Zin-like/spicy/raspberry flavor w/ ample hard/raspy tannins; very long blueberry/Syrah quite spicy/Zin-like/raspberry/blackberry rather earthy/mineral/pungent/graphite/RCCola finish w/ some hard/gritty tannins; some whole-cluster/Rhonish character underneath; a rather hard/tannic/structured/very spicy Syrah that needs some age; 4-8 yrs; should be a very good/unusual Syrah w/ age. $35.00

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A wee BloodyPulpit:

1. Jason&Molly Drew make Syrah from both Perli and Valenti vnyds in the MendoRidge. They are strikingly different from the Syrahs they used to make down in SBC some yrs ago. Some of the best Syrahs coming out of MendoCnty. And darlings of the IPoB crowd.
   Tom

[Ken_Zinns]

I happened to taste this wine at last week’s Taste of Mendocino event in San Francisco and it was one of my favorites of the tasting, maybe my top Syrah there. I think Jason & Molly Drew are making their best wines ever these days.

[larry_schaffer]

Tom,

Difficult to compare these wines to the wines they used to make down here - different vineyards, of course, but most likely some different ‘philosophies’ now than when they lived here.

These sound lovely and it sounds as if I need to search them out. They sound a bit more ‘approachable’ than other IPOB-type syrahs that, to me, are simply not ripe enough to enjoy for years upon years.

You mention the grippy tannins - was this enjoyable right off the bat or did it need a lot of air time? And did you leave any to try on Day 2?

Cheers!

[TomHill]

@larry schaffer

Tom,

Difficult to compare these wines to the wines they used to make down here - different vineyards, of course, but most likely some different ‘philosophies’ now than when they lived here.

These sound lovely and it sounds as if I need to search them out. They sound a bit more ‘approachable’ than other IPOB-type syrahs that, to me, are simply not ripe enough to enjoy for years upon years.

You mention the grippy tannins - was this enjoyable right off the bat or did it need a lot of air time? And did you leave any to try on Day 2?

Cheers!

Yup…change in philosophy when they moved up to Mendocino. Actually…I’d like to see what is present winemaking style would do w/ SBC grapes.

I assume you know that the IPoB crowd only recognizes Chard & Pinot as wines that can “have balance”??
For an IPoB Syrah…this was definitly not in balance (except only in the sense the alcohol is lower). The tannins were pretty rugged.

I’m not one who believes that leaving a wine exposed to air mitigates the tannins. Never have been. I find leaving a wine exposed to the air,
you usually allows the escape of volatiles, making the tannins even more obvious (unless it’s a very old/highly reduced wine). The nonsense that
leaving a wine exposed to air “softens” the tannins…I’ve almost never found this to be the case. I’ve done it plenty of times.
I left about half the Drew on the counter in the btl, w/ cork in it overnight. The next afternoon, the tannins were even more rugged.
This is not an approachable wine until it gets some more age on it. BobLindquist’s Syrahs are, to me, the epitomy of Syrahs w/ balance.
And they are pretty approachable when young…and also age brilliantly. The guy knows a bit about making wine…you should try them sometime!!!
Tom

[Ken_Zinns]

@TomHill

@larry schaffer

Tom,

Difficult to compare these wines to the wines they used to make down here - different vineyards, of course, but most likely some different ‘philosophies’ now than when they lived here.

These sound lovely and it sounds as if I need to search them out. They sound a bit more ‘approachable’ than other IPOB-type syrahs that, to me, are simply not ripe enough to enjoy for years upon years.

You mention the grippy tannins - was this enjoyable right off the bat or did it need a lot of air time? And did you leave any to try on Day 2?

Cheers!

Yup…change in philosophy when they moved up to Mendocino. Actually…I’d like to see what is present winemaking style would do w/ SBC grapes.

I assume you know that the IPoB crowd only recognizes Chard & Pinot as wines that can “have balance”??
For an IPoB Syrah…this was definitly not in balance (except only in the sense the alcohol is lower). The tannins were pretty rugged.

I’m not one who believes that leaving a wine exposed to air mitigates the tannins. Never have been. I find leaving a wine exposed to the air,
you usually allows the escape of volatiles, making the tannins even more obvious (unless it’s a very old/highly reduced wine). The nonsense that
leaving a wine exposed to air “softens” the tannins…I’ve almost never found this to be the case. I’ve done it plenty of times.
I left about half the Drew on the counter in the btl, w/ cork in it overnight. The next afternoon, the tannins were even more rugged.
This is not an approachable wine until it gets some more age on it. BobLindquist’s Syrahs are, to me, the epitomy of Syrahs w/ balance.
And they are pretty approachable when young…and also age brilliantly. The guy knows a bit about making wine…you should try them sometime!!!
Tom

Goes to show how different tasters have different perceptions of the same wine. Looking at my notes from the Taste of Mendocino event, I actually big but “refined” tannins on this wine. I’d just tasted through some pretty big, tannic wines immediately before tasting the Drew wines so that may have influenced my perception. I agree that the '12 Perli Syrah deserves some bottle age but I didn’t think it was out of balance or even unapproachable.