Big Basin Vineyards Coastview Vineyard Syrah, Monterey County, USA

大盆地海岸景園西拉干紅葡萄酒

點擊次數：2900

Offering more upfront fruit, the 2013 Syrah Coastview Vineyard, which incorporates 5% Viognier, saw close to 43% whole clusters and was raised 23 months in 50% new French oak. Plums, blackberries, peppery herbs, earth and licorice notes all give way to a medium to full-bodied, rounded, plump wine that comes across as a touch rough around the edges, with notable tannin on the mid-palate and finish. It might come together with a year in bottle, but then again, maybe not. Nevertheless, it's a solid Syrah.

One of the stars of the lineup is the 2012 Syrah Coastview Vineyard from Monterey County. Cofermented with 7% Viognier and fermented with 20% whole clusters, it offers gorgeous notes of caramelized dark fruits, plums, olive, licorice and white pepper. Showing the meaty, gamy side to the variety, with full-bodied richness and excellent mid-palate concentration, it still has sensational purity and freshness. It’s already hard to resist but will drink nicely for 6-7 years.

Similarly styled, with a decidedly cool-climate feel, the 2011 Syrah Coastview Vineyard is a classy, medium-bodied Syrah that excels on its purity and elegance. Showing darker fruits, green olive, sappy herbs and tinges of mint, it has good, not great, concentration, integrated acidity and a clean finish. It’s another high-quality Syrah that will evolve nicely for a decade. Located high up in the Santa Cruz Mountains, Big Basin Vineyards is run by Bradley Brown. He releases numerous estate wines, yet also makes a number of wines from other top vineyards in the Central Coast. These 2011s show the freshness and focus of the cooler vintage, and his 2012s offer beautiful purity, with more fruit forward profiles. Tel. (408) 564-7346; www.bigbasinvineyards.com

The 2010 Syrah Coastview Vineyard is gorgeous. Harvested all on November 6, with a brix at 23.5 and a pH of 3.5, it's a remarkable effort that boasts incredible focus and purity in its pure blackberry, spring flowers, ground herbs, mineral and hints of game-like bouquet. Medium to full-bodied, with a silky, lightly textured style, it has fabulous length, integrated acidity and a focused finish. It should be at its best from 2016-2026.

The 2009 Syrah Coastview Vineyard emerges from the glass with mineral-infused blackberries, blueberries, tar and violets. This is a striking wine endowed with gorgeous clarity and precision in its aromas and flavors. The focused, silky finish bodes well for the future. Brown brought all of the fruit from Coastview in before the October rains and used 8% whole clusters. The wine will be aged about 26 months in French oak barrels 75% new. Anticipated maturity: 2012-2019. Bradley Brown crafts gorgeous artisan wines from his vineyards in the Santa Cruz Mountains and Monterey County. The wines are fermented with ambient yeasts, see no racking and are bottled unfined and unfiltered. The Pinots are aged in 50% new medium toast barrels, while some of the Syrah and Syrah-based blends see higher amounts of new wood. Brown is gradually moving towards reducing toast levels and amounts of new oak. The 2008s are big, rich wines marked by the low yields of the year that are the result of the spring frost. Vintage 2009 was a flashier, more overt year until a heavy rainstorm hit on October 13. The 2009s generally are lower in alcohol than the 2008s. As good as these wines are – and they are often outstanding – my feeling is that Brown has just scratched the surface of his potential.Tel. (831) 621-8028; www.bigbasinvineyards.com