A Stellar Syrah Tasting

In May of 2019, I attended a wonderful tasting at The Wine House in Los Angeles.  Stolpman Vineyards was there in full force showcasing some of their world class syrahs.  I purchased four bottles that included the 2011-2014 vintages of Hecho Por Ruben, made by their vineyard manager, Ruben Solorzano.  Tom and Virginia Stolpman purchased their vineyard in 1990 and soon after, hired Ruben as their vineyard manager.  In 2009, the Stolpman’s son Pete and his wife and business partner, Jessica, took over day to day management of the vineyards.  Ruben, in the meantime, had established his own vineyard management company, but still considers the Stolpman property to be his “home ranch.”  For more detail about Stolpman and the 2019 tasting, read this post: Stolpman Syrah « Pursuing Pinot

Ruben began experimenting with making wine in 2008 in order to eliminate variables.  By using the same fermentation and aging processes, he was able to evaluate the effects of different pruning and vine training techniques as well as picking decisions.  The majority of the grapes for these four vintages came from the Harrison Clarke vineyard that lies at the northern end of Ballard Canyon. The 2014 vintage included grapes from Boa Vista vineyard at the southern end of Ballard, a lower and cooler elevation.  All four vintages were made with whole cluster fermentation and were then aged for 30 months in neutral French oak.  Whole cluster means just that – the grapes along with their stems – and neutral oak refers to barrels that have been used previously.  The wines were then bottle aged for at least 18 months prior to release.

Evaluating Color

Earlier this month, I assembled eight of my favorite wine tasting friends for a vertical tasting of these syrahs.  Vertical refers to different vintages of the same wine.  However – I had forgotten that when doing a vertical tasting, one typically starts with the newest and works backwards.  I had already poured the 2011 when this was brought to my attention.  Too late!

2011 was a challenging growing year marked by a cold spring, including an April frost, and a persistent marine layer. Harvest was late due to the chilly weather.  Sometimes vintages from cold years can be a bit thin, or tight, but not this.  The wine had the signature deep hues of syrah, full bodied and rich with dark fruit.  The extra time in the bottle had softened tannins and the wine was superb.  Several of us enjoyed this the most of the four vintages tasted.

2012 provided perfect weather for the grapes.  Warm, sunny days, cool nights, and no threat of storms allowed the fruit to remain on the vines until the peak of ripeness.  This vintage is a classic Ballard Canyon syrah with concentrated dark berry flavors and a smooth, lingering finish.  This lovely wine is food friendly and was greatly enjoyed by our group.

Moving on to 2013, harvest was earlier in the season and yields were lower.  The wine displayed more spicy and herbaceous qualities than the dark fruits of the previous two.  Polling our group, it was the least popular.  But – to show how our palates can vary and change, this 2013 was my favorite at the 2019 tasting.  I think it was at this point in our tasting that we began to realize how strongly the food we were enjoying impacted our perception of each wine.

2014 was another worry-free growing season.  In making this wine with grapes from two vineyards, each lot was made separately and then Ruben blended them to his exacting standards.  I loved this wine with its dark fruit, spice and a hint of smoke.  It will get even better with more bottle aging, relaxing the tannins and lengthening the finish.

The evening was a lot of fun and it was so interesting to hear everyone’s impressions.  Now I need to see if I can find any of these wines available for sale because I would like to taste them, again.

Cheers!