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Wine Details
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Description:
We are making quite a bit of Syrah these days. Taking its place alongside Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, Syrah will become a cornerstone varietal for Nicholson Ranch. With only an acre of estate Syrah, and a belief that "cool climate" Syrah was a worthy pursuit, 2002 saw the inauguration of our Los Carneros Syrah program with the production of 588 cases made with fruit from the Hudson Vineyard on the Napa side of the Carneros. Fruit for the 2003 Los Carneros is from Las Madres Vineyard in the Sonoma Carneros. Bottled simply as "Los Carneros," it will become a staple at Nicholson Ranch for the foreseeable future. This new Los Carneros bottling differs widely from the 2002 version. Where the 2002 wine was very European in style, the Las Madres version is all California; lush black fruits with a big cooking spice nose, complemented by every savory sensation known to humankind. We are so pleased with this wine that, beginning in 2004, it will be vineyard-designated as "Las Madres." I hope you enjoy the new Los Carneros Syrah, and I encourage you to follow, and sample, our growing Syrah program!
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Varietal Definition
Syrah:
Syrah is the eight hundred pound gorilla of Rhone grapes! In the vineyard and the winery, Syrah is typically an easy grape to work with - healthy, early ripening, resistant to mildew and rot; suitable for winemaking in a variety of styles. The wines from Syrah are tannic without being harsh. The wines will have a taste and smell of dark blue fruit like blackberries and blackcurrant, with a strong spicy side where one can find freshly ground pepper and other spices. Syrah is famous for its part in the French blends, such as Côtes du Rhone and Châteauneuf du Pape.
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Pinot Noir:
The name is derived from the French words for ‘pine’ and ‘black’ alluding to the varietals' tightly clustered dark purple pine cone shaped bunches of fruit. Pinot Noir grapes are grown around the world, mostly in the cooler regions, but the grape is chiefly associated with the Burgundy region of France. It is widely considered to produce some of the finest wines in the world, but is a difficult variety to cultivate and transform into wine. By volume most Pinot Noir in America is grown in California with Oregon coming in second. Other regions are Washington State and New York.During 2004 and the beginning of 2005, Pinot Noir became considerably more popular amongst consumers in the United States, possibly because of the movie Sideways. Being lighter in style, it has benefited from a trend toward more restrained, less alcoholic wines. It is the delicate, subtle, complex and elegant nature of this wine that encourages growers and winemakers to cultivate this difficult grape. Robert Parker has described Pinot Noir: "When it's great, Pinot Noir produces the most complex, hedonistic, and remarkably thrilling red wine in the world."
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Chardonnay:
Chardonnay is by far the most widely planted grape crop in California and dominates California’s cooler, coastal, quality wine regions. The natural varietal ‘taste and smell’ of Chardonnay is surprisingly unfamiliar to many wine drinkers, as its true character is often guised with dominating winemaking signatures. Chardonnay’s rather subdued primary fruit characteristics lean toward the crisp fruitiness of apples, pears and lemon, but the variety’s full body is capable of supporting a host of complementary characteristics, such as oak, butter and vanilla. Regardless of what is the appropriate style for Chardonnay, the varietal continues to dominate vineyard plantings in every corner of the world. Close attention to clonal selection has made this broad geographic and climactic range of Chardonnay viable in thoughtful viticultural hands.
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