The Tasting Panel magazine

December 2012

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PHOTO: COURTESY OF TRAPICHE WINE NEWS Trapiche winemaker Daniel Pi walks the rocky, alluvial soil vineyards in the Los Arboles area of the Uco Valley with Santa Barbara winemaker Joey Tensley. The two designed a Syrah-Viognier for the Iscay series. By Design TRAPICHE WINEMAKER DANIEL PI FORGES FRIENDSHIPS IN THE EVER-EXPANDING ISCAY SERIES I n 2010, Central Coast winemaker Joey Tensley paid a visit to Mendoza, where he met Daniel Pi, winemaker for the iconic Argentinian brand Trapiche. ���I immediately felt a kinship to Daniel,��� Tensley tells THE TASTING PANEL. ���I saw the potential here, speciically from the Los Arboles area with its 3,000-foot elevation and proximity to the Andes.��� The result was a collaboration of Tensley���s experience with Syrah and Pi���s familiarity with and knowledge of the region. Together, the two designed the Iscay 2010 Syrah-Viognier . Tensley Wines is a 4,000-case-per-year business with a focus on vineyard-designated Syrah from Santa Barbara County. And while Tensley wasn���t new to the collaboration theory, as he also has Syrah-based projects in Gigondas and Ch��teauneuf-du-Pape, his partnership program with Trapiche has spurred a larger vision for Daniel Pi. ���I have met many people around the world, and it���s so wonderful how generous winemakers are in sharing experiences and knowledge. As a tribute to these growing friendships, I hope to keep expanding the Iscay series even further. Two cultures, two techniques and two people form the idea behind the name Iscay, which in the Incan Quechua language means ���two.��� ���This is a tribute to two people���s synergy,��� explains Pi, ���and to the two grapes that help form that union.��� ���Meridith May Tasting by Design Trapiche 2010 Iscay Syrah-Viognier ($50), aged for 15 months in ���ne-grain oak barrels, is a wash of sumptuous red fruit, juicy with lilacs melting across the velvet tannins. Only 1,000 cases are available of this superstar wine. Trapiche Iscay 2008 Malbec-Cabernet Franc ($50) is a co-operative project with agronomist Marcelo Belmonte of U.C. Davis, who has top skills in terroir management. ���I love Cabernet Franc the most, confesses Pi. ��� ���In Argentina, this varietal is unique. My challenge is to ripen the restrained rustic tannins. Then you can taste the power [and spice] mid-palate that Malbec can lack. The wine is ��� meaty, bold and gripping with sweet tobacco tannins, clove and black tea notes. Trapiche is imported by The Wine Group december 2012 / the tasting panel / 59

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