Christie Kiley on June 30, 2014 0 Comments For years I have been a big fan of Syrah, for its earthiness or nuance of dark fruits it can hold, for its spicy finish. There is always such a wide range of roles and styles Syrah can play and they continue to intrigue and inspire me each time I select one from a different part of the world. Last week, I was planning to have a few friends over to kick off the new season, and I had planned a special menu of beef tenderloin marinated in achiote, Italian parsley , a touch of fresh rosemary and lemon zest, that would later be braised and nicely caramelized and finished in the oven just perfectly finished to medium temperature. The side? A multi-colored bell pepper, potato and crispy prosciutto hash. Was it good? Well, there was no complaint, that is for sure. But about the wine. Calcareous Estate is located Paso Robles, California. Perhaps considered by some, the sister region of the Rhone Valley in France, where you can also find Syrah. It is the original home of this grape, though some will argue that point. With such high temperatures and desert-like conditions, there is a special care that must be taken to make such a special wine as they have. With intense sunshine, care and management of the vines’ canopy must be kept into consideration and maintained so as to provide a perfect balance of sun exposure and nice shade to develop complex fruit with depth and character. Harvest takes place in the middle of the evening, sometimes as early as three or four in the morning, to ensure the grapes do not increase in temperature on their way back to the vineyards. The vines are only permitted to produce small yields and bunches are thinned as the growing season continues if it needs to be done. The grapes fermented only in small lots and go through an extended maceration so as to extract all they can to bring out the fruits’ terroir and best characteristics. No chemical fining is involved and they only use barrels sourced from the best coopers. As the wine is barrel-aged they are careful that it is not racked too extensive in order to maintain the integrity and nature of the wine which has been made. The wines from Calcareous Estate are truly hand-made and artisanal treats of grand distinction. Established in 2000, Calcareous Vineyards are found on the Westside hills of Paso Robles off of Peachy Canyon Road. Their 442 acre estate stretches as far as the Pacific creating multiple opportunities and microclimates to produce an array of varietal wine grapes from Burgundy, to Rhone to Bordeaux. Here you will find soils of limestone originating from ancient times when this area was once covered by sea life. Over the centuries, the land rose from the sea by multiple volcanic eruptions. The various hillsides and mountainsides from the change of terrain have created many nooks and valleys and therefore, multiple microclimates that make an ideal home for individual grapes. Calcareous’ goal is to produce wines well-representative of their Rhone and Bordeaux blends and noteworthy Burgundies. For this instance, we are just going to focus on the Rhone-side of things, as is our wine, the 2010 Syrah. The estate Syrah is cultivated in Kate’s Vineyard, located just a half mile southeast of their tasting room. You can even see its peak from their beloved Boche Ball court. The vineyard consists of varying rolling hills with differing soil types and sun exposure. One side is can be moist and is full of rich soils where the other side is quite the opposite, dry and with high sun exposure, where you will find the Syrah. As it is ideal for dry farming, creating small yields, they only get about four tons out of each acre from the rocky and chalky soils. There is a richness and intensely structured fruit which comes from these soils. Once you try this wine, as I and my dinner guests did, with or without the same menu, you will understand why the Calcareous Estate 2010 Syrah won the gold medal in the San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition earlier this year. The deep color and deep almost raw meatiness of its aromas is perfect for you carnivores out there. The extraction of these grapes have created a wine with everything from smoky pancetta to sweet crab apple pie, a mixed berry salad that has all melded together and has let out its juices just right for that bowl of vanilla bean ice cream. There is some of that in there too, the vanilla and tobacco, green and red-brined peppercorns, floral and spicy. Try it! More Wine Reviews: Henry’s Drive 2012 Syrah St. Supery 2011 Estate Cabernet Sauvignon Oakville Sauvignon Blanc 2012 from Flora Springs Winery Sbragia 2010 Merlot Home Ranch Dry Creek Valley
