Kale Alder Springs Vineyard Syrah 2010
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Kale Wines is an Asian American owned winery with an Asian American winemaker, Kale Anderson. Both Kale and his wife Ranko come from multiracial backgrounds. Kale is half Filipino and half white and Ranko is half Japanese, a quarter Filipino and a quarter Polish. Although Kale has always wanted to be acknowledged for his wines and winemaking, regardless of age, race or ethnicity, while Kale was Director of Winemaking at Pahlmeyer, he became one of the youngest winemakers to receive a 100 point score from Wine Advocate. He is also one of the only Asian American winemakers in the world to accomplish this feat.
Kale's name is actually Kalè, but born and raised in Northern California he has always gone by Kale. Kale's great grandparents were some of the first Filipino Americans to settle in the Central Valley, own land and farm. Ranko's grandparents met in the Japanese internment camps during WWII. Although Kale and Ranko's story is not the norm for a small, family owned winery, they celebrate diversity everyday by sharing their passion for Rhône inspired wines in the Napa Valley.
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 large and diverse appellation within California’s North Coast AVA, Mendocino is home to several smaller sub-regions—most notably the Anderson Valley. This scenic region, with rolling hills covered in redwood forests as well as vineyards, is one of the world’s top producers of certified organically-grown grapes. Due to wide geographical and climatic variation, a vast array of wine styles can be found here.