MacLaren Drouthy Neebors Syrah 2009
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Wine & Spirits
A syrah in the rich, black fruited mode, this is lush and round, its power gentled by woodland scents of violets. Serve it cellar temperature with braised beef.
Steve worked in France for 12 years in the electronics industry, and it was during this time that he developed a love of french cuisine and wine. Steve traveled throughout France, enjoying and learning about the many different wine regions, and it was on a visit to the Northern Rhone region where he fell in love with Syrah.
The electronics industry then brought Steve to the San Francisco Bay Area and he immediately began to explore the local wine regions and wineries. It was on one such exploration that Steve met Michael Talty of Talty winery and so began a great friendship and wine making apprenticeship. After working with Michael for a couple of harvests Steve started his own label MacLaren and made some of his beloved Syrah.
Now residing in Sonoma with his wife Heather, he has left the corporate life behind and is concentrating on growing their small wine company.
MacLaren's primary focus is on Syrah. It starts by searching for premium "cool climate" vineyards capable of producing fruit reminiscent of the Northern Rhone.
The wine making style is heavily influenced by the french wines Steve loves; Fruit forward, balanced, and elegant, making the wines food friendly and easy to pair with different dishes.
MacLaren's goal is to have each wine express its specific vineyard and terroir, but with a french accent. Steve also works every year to find a blend, from all of the vineyards, which represents the best of the vintage. He enlists the help of friends and wine club members in deciding on the final Drouthy Neebors blend. Going forward, MacLaren continues to search for additional Syrah vineyards, but also for vineyards whose terroir and varietal combine to enable a wine to be produced in the same food friendly style.
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.”
Home to a diverse array of smaller AVAs with varied microclimates and soil types, Sonoma County has something for every wine lover. Physically twice as large as Napa Valley, the region only produces about half the amount of wine but boasts both tremendous quality and variety. With its laid-back atmosphere and down-to-earth attitude, the wineries of Sonoma are appreciated by wine tourists for their friendliness and approachability. The entire county intends to become a 100% sustainable winegrowing region by 2019.
Sonoma County wines are produced with carefully selected grape varieties to reflect the best attributes of their sites—Dry Creek Valley’s consistent sunshine is ideal for Zinfandel, while the warm Alexander Valley is responsible for rich, voluptuous red wines like Cabernet Sauvignon. Chardonnay and Pinot Noir are important throughout the county, most notably in the cooler AVAs of Russian River, Sonoma Coast and Carneros. Sauvignon Blanc, Merlot and Syrah have also found a firm footing here.