This is the 14th cuvee of this Californian version of a high-class Cotes du Rhone made by Morgan Twain-Peterson MW. Bedrock has been making stunning small-production wines from some of California’s oldest vineyards since 2007, so some seriously old vine fruit ends up in this blend. Shebang! is a blend of Zinfandel, Carignan, Alicante Bouchet, Syrah and Barbera fermented with native yeasts and aged in primarily neutral barrels (15% in new French oak). Each grape variety is vinified separately and added to a multi-vintage Solera. Each year he tops it up with new wines after drawing off the wine to be bottled.
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Red Wine2017 Zero Manipulation ‘Tollini Vineyard’, Peterson Winery
£2150Add to BasketThis blend of Carignan, Grenache, Syrah (73%,22% and 5%) has inviting aromas of wild red fruits, hints of spice and a rustic minerality which leads to luscious layers of raspberry, strawberry, floral notes and pomegranate, surrounded by a subtle structure and a touch of liquorice on the finish. Zero Manipulation is the winemaking philosophy that is employed on all Peterson wines, using the gentlest winemaking techniques possible to maximise flavours, aromas and the original essence of the grapes from the given vineyard and vintage.
The Tollini Vineyard is located in Mendocino County’s Redwood Valley and has been in the Tollini family for three generations; now in the hands of Alvin Tollini. The Zero Manipulation Blend is made up of predominantly Carignan, where the vines are traditionally head trained and dry farmed. The blocks were originally planted by Alvin Tollini’s father and grandfather and old-vine, low yielding Carignan remains from the original plantings and produces concentrated, flavoursome fruit. Alvin’s father added to the acreage after he returned from WWII. The Syrah and Grenache were planted by Alvin using the same time-honoured techniques and sustainable approach and they add layers of depth, complexity and balance to the blend. The vines are planted on southwest facing benches in the Redwood Valley and are cultivated with a meticulously sustainable approach.
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2018 Wonderwall Syrah, Field Recordings
£2350Add to BasketWonderwall wines are made with grapes grown in extreme, coastal locations and this stunning, approachable Syrah from winemaker Andrew Jones of Field Recordings is for all those lovers of the Rhone Valley classics, Crozes-Hermitage, Cornas or Saint-Joseph.
In the glass, the wine has the prettiest deep purple you will ever see, almost worthy of its own Farrow and Ball colour! Victoria plums, coffee bean, grilled meats, and some thyme and tapenade to add to the lovely plush, rounded palate. The finish is lifted and lingering and blueberry dominant. It’s a lovely, supple expression of the grape.
As a vine nursery fieldman, Andrew Jones has spent many hours exploring vineyards, planning, planting, and chatting with farmers all over the Central Coast. He began spotting more and more interesting and overlooked vineyards – often rocky, wilder sites located closer to the Pacific, farmed mindfully by clients who have become friends over many years. This Syrah is sourced from three such vineyards, Zabala in Arroyo Seco AVA, Hinterland in Paso Robles AVA, and Stolo in the tiny coastal community of Cambria.
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2012 Syrah Le Pousseur, Bonny Doon
£3500Add to BasketBonny Doon Vineyards’ 2012 Syrah, “Le Pousseur,” is made from Syrah grapes grown in some nice Central Coast spots – 48% Alamo Creek Vineyard, 18% Bien Nacido Vineyard, 18% Spanish Springs Vineyard and 16% Ventana Vineyard. These are cool-climate sites and the website states that with “a fair amount of whole clusters included, this is a savory Syrah of great restraint.”
Randall Grahm writes that he finds Le Posseur “enchanting and captivating rather than overpowering.” He labels it as a “feminine” Syrah. I don’t make it a habit to argue with a winemaker about his wines, but I was taken to task once for the use of the term “feminine” as a sexist way to describe a wine. PC or not PC, it does not strike me as feminine. Maybe it’s feminine in a masculine way. Or masculine in a feminine way. Maybe it’s just a wine having a crisis of sexuality. Or maybe it’s just a Syrah of great restraint. It retails for $26 and 2,126 cases were produced.
Under the screw cap is a wine which is opaque indigo. Big blueberry fruit dominates the nose with a savory undercurrent. It is possibly the fruitiest nose I’ve experienced from a Bonny Doon red, which usually lean savory. The palate shows dark fruit too, with just a hint of that black olive note Grahm’s wines often exhibit. Very nice acidity and a good tannic grip top off an entirely enjoyable experience. The oak touch is nice, just right in fact.
90 points from PlanetGrape.com: “Seductive notes of red rose, lilac, raspberry and cherry mingle with earthy notes of game, bacon and underbrush. Smooth and silky. Decant to let oxygen do its thing.” (02/2015) According to the winery: “We’ve been in a nice aromatic groove of late with Le Pousseur, largely in virtue of the string of very cool vintages, and sourcing our fruit exclusively from cool climate sites. The ’12 Pousseur (who is to say why) is still in a Marlon Brando-like bit of a sullen funk, but there is no question that underneath that brooding exterior, there beats the heart of a Wild One. The Alamo Creek component (possibly in virtue of its extremely gravelly soil) seems to add a strong mineral/earthy/bloody note, not utterly unreminiscent of Cornas. With more air, you begin to gradually discern the characteristic anise/licorice character that typifies Syrah. On the palate, the wine has a refreshing acidity, tannins well-resolved and is remarkably savory with an exceptionally long finish. This wine is still amazingly young and will benefit from several years of ageing (if you can wait). If you can’t wait, decanting is well advised.”
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2009 Columbia Valley Syrah, L’Ecole No.41
£3750Add to BasketL’Ecole Nº 41 has been producing premium, handcrafted varietal wines in the Walla Walla Valley since 1983 in the historic Frenchtown School in Lowden, Washington.
This luscious and balanced Syrah presents fruity aromas of ripe blackberry, earth and spice. The wine shows rich black currant, kalamata olive and black peppercorn through a finely textured mineral finish
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Red Wine
2020 Syrah, The Language Of Yes, Randall Grahm
£4350Add to BasketRandall Grahm is a legend of California winemaking, renowned for his trailblazing work with Rhône Varieties in the Central Coast. ‘The Language of Yes’ is his latest project, an attempt to capture the essence of Old World wines through the ‘uniqueness of the vineyards and the (mostly) sunny disposition of California’.
This is a deliciously complex Syrah, marked by its lively acidity and layers of vivid pepperiness, black olive, violets, liquorice and white flowers. Smooth and textured with a long finish.
The Syrah and Viognier grapes come from the single vineyard ‘Rancho Réal’, in the Santa Maria Valley which is one of the coolest sites where vines are successfully grown in California. Here, the vines enjoy a particularly long growing season, thus developing an impressive degree of complexity and articulation. For example, the formation of ‘Rotundone’, the molecule that imparts the peppery quality to wines, is favoured by cooler climates, lower light conditions and a long hang-time on the vine.
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2016 ‘GSM’ Grenache, Syrah, Mourvèdre, Benevolent Neglect
£4500Add to BasketThe nose is intoxicating and perfumed, with a heavy proportion of florals, specifically violets, with nuanced, understated berry fruits and an intriguing mineral/graphite component emerging with time in the glass. The palate is sumptuous, plump and satisfying while retaining restraint, the oak beautifully integrated and suggested as a slight lick of caramel on the lengthy finish, which is all framed by restrained tannins and a lingering, mouthwatering finish of red fruits and savoury game. The guys from Benevolent make delicious, unique wines with soul.
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2011 Patrina Syrah, Alban Vineyards
£6500Add to BasketJohn Alban is more than a wine producer: Robert Parker has described him as the “spiritual and qualitative leader of the Rhône Ranger movement”: his impact on wine production in California is not to be understated. Established in 1989, Alban Vineyards represents California’s first winery and vineyard dedicated exclusively to the varietals of the Rhône at a time when anything that was neither Cabernet nor Chardonnay was barely grown in California, Alban was a groundbreaking project and has gone on to be regarded as one of the U.S.A’s best and most influential producers.
A deliciously rich and complex wine, the 2011 Patrina hits the ideal balance between the New and Old World ways of winemaking. Dark and brooding in the glass, the bouquet is understated with earthy notes of blackberry and cherry. As it moves across the palate it reveals an array of dark berries, plum, cassis, and Indian spices. The finish includes dark cocoa delicately balanced on a framework of silky tannins.
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2010 Patrina Syrah, Alban Vineyards
£6500Add to BasketJohn Alban is more than a wine producer: Robert Parker has described him as the “spiritual and qualitative leader of the Rhône Ranger movement”: his impact on wine production in California is not to be understated. Established in 1989, Alban Vineyards represents California’s first winery and vineyard dedicated exclusively to the varietals of the Rhône at a time when anything that was neither Cabernet nor Chardonnay was barely grown in California, Alban was a groundbreaking project and has gone on to be regarded as one of the U.S.A’s best and most influential producers.
The 2010 Patrina boasts gorgeously pure aromatics of cassis, raspberry, flowers and spice, full-bodied richness and an overall layered, fresh profile that’s hard to resist.
It offers a rare and affordable glimpse into the craft of one of the Central Coast’s most enduring pioneers of Rhone varieties.
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2007 Old Lakeville Vineyard Syrah, Bedrock Wine Co.
£7500Add to BasketA sexy, room-filling bouquet of black raspberry, boysenberry, potpourri and incense. Broad, palate-staining dark fruit flavors are impressively deep and pure, picking up violet and rose pastille character with air. A tangy graphite note builds on the finish and adds energy to the deep, seductively sweet fruit.
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2010 Reva Syrah, Alban Vineyards
£12000Add to BasketEstablished in 1989, Alban Vineyards represents California’s first winery and vineyard dedicated exclusively to the varietals of the Rhône. Pioneered by John Alban at a time when anything that was neither Cabernet nor Chardonnay was barely grown in California, Alban was a groundbreaking project and has gone on to be regarded as one of the U.S.A’s best and most influential producers.
It is the Syrah releases from Alban which, justifiably, receive the most attention. Reva Syrah is Alban’s much-coveted, hard to come by top release; a 100% single vineyard Syrah which is aged in oak for 42 months before release.
“The 2010 Syrah Reva is magnificent. Blue and blackish tone fruits, smoke, tar, liquorice, cloves and menthol all flesh out in a supple, exotic wine endowed with superb depth and polish. An explosive finish rounds things out beautifully in this impeccable, opulent Syrah. The 2010 spent 44 months in oak, 70% new, all of which it has handled with grace. Of the three 2010 Syrahs, this is the wine I would personally reach for more often, as it is truly stellar.” Antonio Galloni, Vinous: 95-97pts.
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2011 Reva Syrah, Alban Vineyards
£12000Add to BasketJohn Alban is more than a wine producer: Robert Parker has described him as the “spiritual and qualitative leader of the Rhône Ranger movement”: his impact on wine production in California is not to be understated. Established in 1989, Alban Vineyards represents California’s first winery and vineyard dedicated exclusively to the varietals of the Rhône at a time when anything that was neither Cabernet nor Chardonnay was barely grown in California, Alban was a groundbreaking project and has gone on to be regarded as one of the U.S.A’s best and most influential producers.
It is the Syrah releases from Alban which, justifiably, receive the most attention. Reva Syrah is Alban’s much-coveted, hard to come by top release; a 100% single vineyard Syrah which is aged in oak for 42 months before release.
This 2011 is a superb offering from the Reva Vineyard boasting gorgeous aromas of blackberry liqueur, creosote, graphite, and a hint of smoky oak. It is an intense, dense, stunning effort with huge tannin, beautiful freshness and a blockbuster finish.
Incredibly decadent Syrah
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2009 Reva Syrah, Alban Vineyards
£12000Add to BasketEstablished in 1989, Alban Vineyards represents California’s first winery and vineyard dedicated exclusively to the varietals of the Rhône. Pioneered by John Alban at a time when anything that was neither Cabernet nor Chardonnay was barely grown in California, Alban was a groundbreaking project and has gone on to be regarded as one of the U.S.A’s best and most influential producers.
It is the Syrah releases from Alban which, justifiably, receive the most attention. Reva Syrah is Alban’s much-coveted, hard to come by top release; a 100% single vineyard Syrah which is aged in oak for 42 months before release. Upfront and highly varietal on the nose, this cult wine exudes aromas of cassis, wild herbs, violet, earth and smoke. The palate is incredibly full-bodied and decadent with immense depth and wonderful freshness. Flavours of dark fruit, coffee, toasty oak and perfumed spice build on an intense mid-palate before continuing on a long, momentous finish. We believe that this is California’s greatest example of this grape variety and will age gracefully over the next 20 years and beyond.
