Black Sheep Finds Holus Bolus Franc de Pied Syrah 2016
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Dunnuck
Jeb
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This block of Syrah is typically blended with our two other blocks at Sebastiano to make up the "regular" Holus Bolus Syrah. These own-rooted vines always grow smaller, produce smaller clusters and make what we feel is one of the most unique wines in our cellar. The wine was fermented with 30% whole clusters and aged for 12 months in 2 and 3-year-old barrels. The finished wine has aromas reminiscent of black olives, rosemary and smoke.
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Cola, blueberry and red fruits meet with sweet tobacco and peppercorn-crusted beef on the nose of this foot-stomped bottling. Though young, it's very accessible now, with smashed berries, tar and savory flavors of black, white and green peppercorn riding a strong acidity.
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Jeb Dunnuck
The 2016 Syrah Holus Bolus Franc de Pied is also from the John Sebastiano Vineyard and was raised in 2-3-year-old barrels. Deep ruby-colored with a juicy bouquet of black raspberries, cherries, strawberries, green olives, and bacon fat, it hits the palate with medium-bodied richness, bright acidity, and a clean, balanced profile.
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2021-
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Enthusiast
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Enthusiast
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Dunnuck
Jeb
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Enthusiast
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The duo behind Black Sheep Finds are Peter Hunken and Amy Christine.
Peter got his start in winemaking in 2001 at Stolpman Vineyards and was the Assistant Winemaker there until 2006. He is also one of the founding members of Piedrasassi and Holus Bolus wines. During this time he gained experience working with Syrah, Grenache, Sangiovese, Pinot Noir, Cabernet and Roussanne. After meeting Amy spitting wine over the winery drains in Lompoc in 2004, they founded Black Sheep Finds with the arrival of the 2005 vintage.
Amy's foray into the wine world began with a childhood dream to win an Oscar. While she waited for her golden statue, she worked as a sommelier at one of LA’s finest restaurants. This translated into a weekend jaunt to Santa Barbara where she met her future husband and fellow Black Sheep, Peter Hunken. A whirlwind romance involving a terrible, but cheap, apartment in Koreatown, countless hours of Ryan Adams and Damien Rice songs and bottles upon bottles of Muller Catoir Riesling turned serious. On a long hike in Santa Barbara in 2005, the idea of Black Sheep Finds was bantered about and just a few months later the first Syrah grapes for Hocus Pocus were being made into wine. Unlike the Oscar it all happened so fast.
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.”
A superior source of California Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, Sta. Rita Hills is the coolest, westernmost sub-region of the larger Santa Ynez Valley appellation within Santa Barbara County. This relatively new AVA is unquestionably one to keep an eye on.
The climate of Sta. Rita Hills is a natural match for Chardonnay and Pinot noir, thanks to the crisp ocean breezes and well-drained, limestone-rich calcareous soil. Here, grapes ripen just enough, while retaining brisk acidity and harmonious balance.