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Wine Recommendation
Drew
2004 Syrah, Morehouse Vineyard(Santa Ynez Valley)
Jason Drew was considered one of the young turks of winemaking in Santa Barbara
County. I use “was” in the past tense because, with this harvest, Jason, Molly and family have
moved their winemaking operation to the North Coast (Elk), though they still plan on continuing
to source Syrah and Pinot Noir from the Santa Barbara area, along with other selected North Coast vineyards.
Despite his youthful appearance, Drew has over a decade of winemaking experience,
including an oenology degree from University of Adelaide Down Under and four years as
associate winemaker at Babcock Vineyards, where he realized the potential of Santa Barbara
County’s cool climate vineyards.
This dark and extracted Syrah (Durell clone), from Santa Ynez Valley, is sourced neither
from the coolest or the warmest site in the county, but it is highly concentrated and tightly
wound. Ripe red cherries and blackberries, as well as licorice come across on the nose and a
little bit of a floral lift too. The deep dish flavors are of sour cherries, pomegranates, with raw
beef/aged hanging beef in the mix and don’t forget the black pepper that seems to season it all.
Thick, rich, firm (but not hard) and mildly tannic, it will benefit from decanting an hour before
serving. This is one mighty, meaty Syrah.
Reviewed December 12, 2006 by Dennis Schaefer.
Other reviewed wines from Drew
The Wine
Winery: Drew |
The Reviewer
Dennis Schaefer
Dennis Schaefer has been tasting and writing about wine for over 30 years, propelled by a continuing curiosity and burgeoning enthusiasm for discovering what’s in the bottle. Blessed with catholic tastes, he enjoys everything from the obvious to the sublime. A major requirement is that the vineyard, winery and winemaker consistently perform well and fulfill their potential. Balance, concentration and complexity are key to the tasting experience but, in the end, the purpose of wine is simply to give pleasure. |