The SOMM Journal

April / May 2018

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{ SOMMjournal.com }  69 That casual request to "expand a bit" would soon evolve into a three-day event filled with in-depth seminars led by both Master Sommeliers and distinguished winemakers, as well as blind tastings, vine - yard tech tours, industry BYOB dinners, and a "Taste of Paso Robles" Grand Tast- ing. "He's [Furuya] been such a mentor to me and I don't think there is a Master Sommelier who loves Paso more, but I just wish I knew then how much work this would be!" Wittstrom-Higgins said with a laugh. Furuya still recalls his first encounter with a Paso Robles wine—the 1988 Justin Isosceles at a blind tasting in San Francisco—all too well. "What captured my attention was that red fruit, but most importantly, the minerality," he said. "Then you go to a place like the James Berry Vineyard of Saxum, and you see the fossil - ized shells like they have here right outside at Ancient Peaks, and you realize that's the appeal of this whole area—the soil." In anticipation of the next few days, Furuya raised his glass to the group and, in true Hawaiian form, announced, "Let's talk story!" And with those words—three decades after the 1988 vintage and years after Furuya's first sip of Paso wine—the plans spontaneously set into motion for Wine Speak Paso Robles had fully come to fruition. A Global View of New World Syrah Wine Speak Paso Robles opened with a seminar on New World Syrah at the historic Atascadero City Hall, where a panel of Syrah producers from Washington State, California, and Australia discussed at length what many in the industry see as an underappreciated variety. "Syrah is the Pinot Noir for sophisticated palates," ob- served Master Sommelier and Winemaker Greg Harrington, who left his career as a restaurant wine director to found his label Gramercy Cellars. While New World Syrah is an "earthy, terroir-driven varietal," Harrington told the audience that winemakers also "need a good point of view to make a good Syrah." At his own winery, for example, Harrington says he won't pick the grapes when they taste "ready"—"If it tastes good in the vineyard, it's too late"—and instead chooses to pick under 23 Brix. "The sweetness detracts from the earthiness, so 21 to 22½ Brix is usually just right," Harrington explained. As a huge proponent of whole-cluster stems, he believes the addition is what gives his Syrah its tannic structure. From Sonoma's rugged western coast, Peay Vineyards' Andy Peay had the audience taste his 2014 Les Titans Syrah from one of the coolest and most remote Syrah-growing regions in California. "It's those savory qualities I love so much," he said. Peay's long stint as a retail wine buyer enabled him to sample a variety of Syrah predominantly from Australia and the south of France, but when he discovered great Syrah can be produced in California, the realization was a personal epiphany of sorts. "I knew it would be all about the site: bringing in earthiness, acidity, complexity, and florality," he said. This ideal is exemplified in his own wine, which exudes lilac and heather with notes of blueberry-mocha earthiness, iron, and cherry cedar. To close the seminar, winemaking veteran Bruce Neyers—who once ran the show at Joseph Phelps Winery—displayed his Neyers 2014 Garys' Vineyard Syrah from Santa Lucia Highlands. The former chemistry major has been a major ambas - sador of Napa Valley and became enamored with Syrah at Phelps in the 1970s at a time when the winery was devoted to the Rhône variety. "For me, Syrah is a personal judgement call when it comes to style," Neyers said. Neyers concurred with Harrington that "100-percent stem is the way to go," add - ing that his grapes are now crushed by foot with a pneumatic punch-down device ("That's the 'sole' function of our interns," he quipped). Neyers has also concluded in his winemaking that no new oak is his preference in terms of aging, "but the adven- ture continues for the specific profile we're trying to get our hands around." The wines for the New World Syrah seminar: Carlei Estate 2009 Nord Shiraz, Neyers 2014 Garys' Vineyard Syrah, Gramercy Cellars 2014 Lagniappe Syrah, and Peay Vineyards 2014 Les Titans Estate Syrah. Back row, from left to right: Amanda Wittstrom-Higgins, Vice President of Operations at Ancient Peaks Winery; Andy Peay of Peay Vineyards; Chuck Furuya, MS, of DK Restaurants; and Greg Harrington, MS, Winemaker at Gramercy Cellars. Front row, from left to right: Sergio Carlei, Winemaker at Carlei Wines, and Bruce Neyers, Owner of Neyers Vineyards.

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