Jelu Zonda Valley Syrah 2009
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Robert
Parker
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Jelu’s 2009 Syrah Zonda Valley spent 6 months in French and American oak. Notions of spice box, mint, game, and blueberry inform the nose of a supple, savory, sweetly-fruited, friendly wine that offers outstanding value. Drink this nicely proportioned effort over the next 3-4 years.
Other Vintages
2017- Decanter
Jelu Estate was founded in 2002 and is located in San Juan, which is approximately 100 miles North of Mendoza. Duncan Killiner, the co-founder also makes the wine and speaks often of the distinctive climate of the Zonda Valley.
In the 1990's, Duncan worked as a "flying winemaker," consulting at wineries around the world. He worked over 80 harvests in ten years, traveling from Brazil to Mexico to Italy and Germany. He paused for a time in Uruguay until 2002 when he was offered a job in Mendoza. After six months of working in Argentina, he realized the true potential of the terroir. And while 60-65% of the wine was consumed locally, Duncan knew the potential opportunity that export had in store for the wines of Jelu.
Jelu was established to promote Argentina's terroirs, Duncan sources organically grown grapes from a few regions, including the Zonda Valley in San Juan and Patagonia. The Zonda Valley is dry and hot with riverbed shingles and pudding stones that run two meters deep and radiate heat throughout the valley.
This soil composition is quite extreme already, but the terroir is also transformed by temperature variations spanning 50 degrees over the course of a day in the height of summer. The grapes that are harvested in January (the southern hemisphere's equivalent of July) which is relatively early compared to other producers in the region.
Duncan does this to ensure that the wines ferment completely dry with balanced levels of acidity and alcohol. The high-elevation glacial valley produces distinctive wines that are bright, lively and truly expressive of both Duncan’s passion and the San Juan region itself.
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.”
With vineyards tretching along the eastern side of the Andes Mountains from Patagonia in the south to Salta in the north, Argentina is one of the world’s largest and most dynamic wine producing countries—and most important in South America.
Since the late 20th century vineyard investments, improved winery technology and a commitment to innovation have all contributed to the country’s burgeoning image as a producer of great wines at all price points. The climate here is diverse but generally continental and agreeable, with hot, dry summers and cold snowy winters—a positive, as snow melt from the Andes Mountains is used heavily to irrigate vineyards. Grapes very rarely have any difficulty achieving full ripeness.
Argentina’s famous Mendoza region, responsible for more than 70% of Argentina’s wine production, is further divided into several sub-regions, with Luján de Cuyo and the Uco Valley most noteworthy. Red wines dominate here, especially Malbec, the country’s star variety, while Chardonnay is the most successful white.
The province of San Juan is best known for blends of Bonarda and Syrah. Torrontés is a specialty of the La Rioja and Salta regions, the latter of which is also responsible for excellent Malbecs grown at very high elevation.