Donkey & Goat The Recluse Broken Leg Vineyard Syrah 2007
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Winemaker Notes
Charcuterie, white and black pepper, tobacco and leather seduce the senses immediately. Cherry, blackberry and blueberry all laced with floral hints and blood orange prepare the palate. An iron ferrous quality runs through with long and chewy tannins. The finish will linger with more notes of cured meats, smoke and mulberry. This Syrah illustrates why we love this varietal and will offer hours of enjoyment as she reveals her secrets (if you can wait that long).
Professional Ratings
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Wine Enthusiast
Lots of smoky leather and crushed black pepper in this wine, a clear sign the Syrah comes from a cool climate. Crisp acidity, too, giving the wine a bright mouthfeel. Might even have a drop of Viognier. There’s a citrusy lift to the blackberries and black currants. Should develop smoothly through 2013.
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Wine & Spirits
From 27-year-old vines, which include a small portion of viognier (3 percent) that co-ferments with the syrah, this is tight and peppery, growing into a tannic beast with air. There's plenty of black raspberry flavor to match the hard tannin, along with a bit of clove-like Brett. Decant this for a wintry braise.
They make their wines for the table not the cocktail glass. They make Rhône varietals in both colors plus an atypical Chardonnay and a Pinot Noir true to the varietals nature, striving to make wine as naturally as possible and done so since day one.
Marked by an unmistakable deep purple hue and savory aromatics, Syrah makes an intense, powerful and often age-worthy red. Native to the Northern Rhône, Syrah achieves its maximum potential in the steep village of Hermitage and plays an important component in the Red Rhône Blends of the south, adding color and structure to Grenache and Mourvèdre. Syrah is the most widely planted grape of Australia and is important in California and Washington. Sommelier Secret—Such a synergy these three create together, the Grenache, Syrah, Mourvedre trio often takes on the shorthand term, “GSM.”
Reaching up California's coastline and into its valleys north of San Francisco, the North Coast AVA includes six counties: Marin, Solano, Napa, Sonoma, Mendocino and Lake. While Napa and Sonoma enjoy most of the glory, the rest produce no shortage of quality wines in an intriguing and diverse range of styles.
Climbing up the state's rugged coastline, the chilly Marin County, just above the City and most of Sonoma County, as well as Mendocino County on the far north end of the North Coast successfully grow cool-climate varieties like Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and in some spots, Riesling. Inland Lake County, on the other hand, is considerably warmer, and Cabernet Sauvignon, Zinfandel and Sauvignon Blanc produce some impressive wines with affordable price tags.