2007 Big Basin Vineyards Syrah Santa Cruz-Monterey County

2007 Red Car Syrah Boxcar

2011 Helioterra Pinot Noir Willamette Valley

2006 Myriad Cellars Syrah Las Madres Vineyard

2009 Soter Pinot Noir Mineral Springs Ranch

 

 

 

2007 Big Basin Vineyards Syrah Santa Cruz-Monterey County – $25.00

This 100% Syrah is a 50/50 blend of grapes from Santa Cruz and Monterey Counties.  There were a total of 10 barrels produced.  The wine is a deep, dark maroon color. Blackberries, smoke, meat juices, charcoal, black pepper, dark chocolate and a slight floral note jump from the glass.  This has a full body with moderate to solid, ripe tannins and very nice acidity.  This is big and rich on the palate with nice tannins and acidity to support the fruit and spice.  This has a long finish with more meat and dark chocolate coming in late. This wine has reached its peak drinking window and can be enjoyed over the next few years.  The wine has 15.2% alcohol and the bottle is closed with a natural cork.  This was a steal off the winery’s mailing list for only $25.  (92 pts)

 

 

 

2007 Red Car Syrah Boxcar – $16.63

My comments

One of the mysteries of life, how could I get this wine for under $17 on a blow out sale?  My only guess is people weren’t expecting a wine that demanded considerable time in a decanter or a few years in the cellar for $25.  Someone took a beating on the bottom line, but it wasn’t me…this time.

 

Winery history

Winemaking Style

Red Car uses meticulous viticulture and transparent winemaking to craft wines with authentic character and originality.  Combining old and new world techniques, we minimize manipulation so the fruit can faithfully express the cool climate personality of the Sonoma Coast.

 

History

Red Car was founded by Carroll Kemp and Mark Estrin in 2000 with 50 cases of Syrah from a single ton of grapes.  Besides an enthusiasm for wine, they also shared a Hollywood background – Carroll as producer, Mark as screenwriter.  Their intent was simple: source great grapes, make great wine and market it in an inventive, original way.

 

The winery name is a tribute to the electric trolley cars that ran throughout Los Angeles from the late 19th century through the early 1960’s.  These “red cars” provided transportation in a romanticized time and place.  We strive to make wines that are similarly memorable and transportive.

 

If you find yourself in wine country, the Red Car tasting room is open from 10am to 5pm, seven days a week.

 

More information available at:  http://www.redcarwine.com/

 

My Tasting Note

The wine is a deep purple color.  The very appealing and exotic nose features blackberries, dying wood embers, bacon fat, black pepper, licorice, dried herbs, wild flowers and some subtle earthiness.  This has medium to full body with moderate ripe tannins and good acidity.  The savory elements are in the forefront on the palate with crushed berries coming in underneath.  The finish has nice length with the peppery, earthy berries slowly giving way to dried herbs.  The wine is drinking nicely right now but I wouldn’t hold it for more than another year maybe two.  Solid, but not really for anyone looking for a fruit forward easy drinker.  This has 14.5% alcohol and the bottle is sealed with a manmade black foamy plastic/rubber stopper.  (90 pts)

 

 

 

2011 Helioterra Pinot Noir Willamette Valley – $16.67

 

From The Winery

Helioterra Wines is a small, artisan producer of Northwest wines made at the SE Wine Collective in SE Portland, Oregon.

 

Our wines are pretty, elegant and graceful in style. Winemaker Anne Ebenreiter Hubatch partners with exceptional regional vineyard growers to craft wines that demonstrate the best that the Northwest offers.

 

The name draws on geological inspirations, symbolizing Heliolite, the Oregon state gemstone (more commonly known as Sun Stone.)  Helio and Terra combine the Greek words for sun and earth, natural partners for grape growing.

 

For more information, I highly recommend checking out their website.

 

My Tasting Note

The wine is a light red to ruby color.  The inviting nose has tart cherries, stony minerals, warm baking spices, roasted leafy herbs, licorice and dried flowers.  This is barely medium body with soft to moderate tannins and bright acidity.  Tart cherries, minerals and baking spices coat the palate on the front end with roasted herbs coming in later.  The finish has nice length with dried flowers and more minerals joining the tart cherries.  This tastes good now but additional cellar time will be rewarded.  This wine has a miniscule 12.4% alcohol and the bottle is sealed with a natural cork.  (90 pts)

 

 

 

2006 Myriad Cellars Syrah Las Madres Vineyard – $38.00

My comments

This is a mailing list I jumped on based on the top flight labels Mike Smith had worked with in his brief career.  Even though I have several vintages in the cellar, this will be my first Myriad Syrah.  I have had and greatly enjoyed their Cabernet Sauvignon wines over the past year or two.

 

Winery history

“Sometimes success is as simple as hearing your inner voice.”

 

Mike started his winemaking career under the direction of Thomas Brown in 2001.   Traveling from Portland Oregon, Mike worked each crush “free of charge” to learn his craft.  Following his 3rd harvest, Mike accepted a full-time assistant position from Thomas and moved his family to St. Helena.  Today, Mike continues to work with Thomas on several labels (i.e. Schrader, Rivers-Marie, Maybach & Tamber Bey).  The Myriad wines are custom crushed along side these greats…  showcasing Mike’s talents and stylistic “purist” approach to winemaking.

 

My Tasting Note

The wine is a fairly deep ruby color, lighter at the edge.  The outstanding nose has blackberries, black olives, charred meat, roasted herbs, dark chocolate, minerals, plums, black pepper, with some road tar and earthiness.  This has medium body, moderate to solid tannins and very nice acidity.  On the palate the fruit takes a back seat to the savory elements, adding a nice crushed berry element on the mid palate before some savory roasted herbs and meat juices take over.  The long finish is again highlighted by the meat juices, olives and roasted herbs with the fruit adding nice sweetness.  An excellent example of a wine that puts the fruit in the back seat and allows the savory elements to drive.  My style of wine.  The wine has 14.9% alcohol and the bottle is sealed with a natural cork.  (93 pts)

 

 

 

2009 Soter Pinot Noir Mineral Springs Ranch – $45.00

This is a wine I was able to purchase through a friend’s generosity in sharing his mailing list allocation.  In this case, I was able to get three bottles of this wine as well as the winery’s lower end North Valley Pinot Noir.  My North Valley Pinots are unfortunately all long gone now and I’ve started digging into the Estate Pinot.

 

This has 14.1% alcohol by volume and the bottle is sealed with a natural cork.

 

Tony Soter

Tony Soter founded Etude Wines in 1982 and its name, “study,” describes his reverence for the ongoing learning process that is winegrowing.  Early in his career, Soter realized that there were innumerable variables that guided a wine towards excellence.  He learned to distinguish between winemaking techniques fundamental to quality, and those that imparted a winemaker’s signature.  He sought to understand the voice of each individual vineyard, to maximize its expression in the glass.

 

In the mid-1980s, Soter began working as a consulting winemaker in the Napa Valley, assisting luminaries such as Araujo, Niebaum-Coppola, Shafer, Spottswoode, Viader and Dalle Valle.  After years of mentoring and encouraging some of Napa Valley’s most respected growers and winemakers, he ended his consulting roles to focus exclusively on Soter Vineyards and his family.

 

Apart from being a culmination, Soter Vineyards is also a beginning.  Soter Vineyards is a family enterprise; with the eventual help of their children, Oregon natives Tony and Michelle Soter hope to establish a legacy of august, estate-bottled wines, in the fashion of the great family domaines of Burgundy.  The wines will consistently express this exotic flare, be sappy and fruit-driven, with lovely acid balance.

 

My Tasting Note

The wine is a bright ruby red color.  The elegant nose has cherries, Asian spices, minerals, cola, dried flowers, smoke and a touch of white pepper.  This has medium body, soft to moderate tannins and very good acidity.  This is intense on the palate with bright, focused cherries and spice up front, slowly giving way to minerals, cola and white pepper.  The finish has nice length but seems to lose just a touch of its zip and focus.  This is very nice now but will be better in another year of two.  (93 pts)

 

 

 

Connect with me

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Cheers!

 

 

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Notes – I use the “official” Cellar Tracker name for the wines.  I use Cellar Tracker to help manage and organize my cellar.  I highly recommend checking it out at www.cellartracker.com.  Loading you existing cellar is a lot less intimidating than it would first appear.  There is a good chance 99% of your wine is already in the system, so you generally only need to enter part of the wine’s name and the system will find it for you.

 

 

Prices noted are the prices I paid at the time of purchase.  I don’t shop around to find the best prices, but always check out the sale and close out items when in a store.  Wines purchased direct from a winery do not include any shipping charges.  None of the prices include the sales tax.

 

 

All wines that were sent to me free of charge to sample will be noted and I will show suggested prices when available.

 

 

 

Cheers!