Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/91577
Alta Colina produces wines of power, precision and place. Currently, their production hovers at 1,000 cases per year, selling off the majority of their fruit to other winemakers who are eager to get their hands on it. 2009 Mourvèdre, Estate ($42) Lush aromas of black cherry fruit, dark chocolate and toffee on the nose fool you to believe this wine will be ripe and fruit-forward. But the palate reveals a masculine tone with haunting spices of anise and black pepper on the front leading to a juicy but tannic mid-palate and finishing with elegant black fruit. Bob Tillman and his daughter Maggie, on the dramatic hillside property of Alta Colina. ALTA COLINA Tucked away atop the steep hillsides of Paso's West Side, with panoramic bird's-eye views of the surrounding valley, are 31 acres of vines planted with the precision and mapping that you would only expect from an engi- neer. Bob Tillman is the man behind Alta Colina Vineyard, and his daughter, Maggie Tillman, oversees sales and marketing. In many circles, the winery, in its short existence, has already climbed to cult status. The property is made up entirely of Rhône varieties, all of which are ENTAV (authentic French) clones except for a single cutting of Alban Syrah, an illustrious suitcase clone. Planted in the spring of 2005, Tillman explained that each block was designed so that all vines within that block had the same soil subset, the same rootstock and the same clone, so that in theory, it would ripen evenly and could be harvested at the same time. Once harvested, each block is vini- fied, and then aged in barrel separately. "Then, we sit down and taste through the barrels," Tillman explains, "and we blend. Hardly any of our wines are 100% of any one varietal; they taste better that way." 2010 Toasted Slope, Estate ($38) Given its name both for the clones derived from Côte-Rôtie ("roasted slope"), as well as for the aggressive French oak or "power barrels" used on this wine, the wine, though currently in its infancy, is certainly on its way to an expression that will be both powerful and extraordinary. Aromas of charred meat, roasted chestnuts and bacon fat reflect the wine's young state and oak treatment. But on the palate, the wine is extremely approachable with notes of crushed dried purple flowers and crisp black- berry fruit. The wine is a reflection of pure pedigree and needs only time in bottle. november 2012 / the tasting panel / 85