2003 Syrah
Aromas: Hoisin sauce and savory with leather notes along with mulled dark fruit
Flavors: Dark fruit flavors of sour plum with nutmeg and spice.
Structure: Medium bodied and it has definitely shed some weight over the years in the bottle, soft tannins.
I found it very surprising how in balance this wine is and it’s definitely in its “peak drinking window” right now.

2005 Syrah
Aromas: Meaty sausage and savory with leather notes but showing ripe dark currant as well.
Flavors: Sour red and black plum fruit flavors with very light pepper.
Structure: Medium bodied at most with light tannins.
This was the softest and lightest of the 3 library Syrahs and definitely a pleasant surprise with its drinkability. Also in its “peak drinking window” right now.

2007 Syrah
Aromas: Damp soil, leather, herbs de Provence, and violet flowers.
Flavors: Ripe dark fruit of red and black plum, black cherry, and cherry cola along with pepper and allspice.
Structure: Medium plus bodied with pronounced tannins.
The youngest of the three library Syrahs and definitely the most “showy” with plenty of fruit and tannins and on the palate. This is drinking like a young Syrah should but is only just entering its “peak window” and will probably be very drinkable for another 3 years.

Our Harvest Party was a huge success!  The gorgeous courtyard welcomed almost 300 Landmark enthusiasts.  With the vines still heavy with ripe grapes and the warm fall weather, the Harvest Party could not have been more fun.  Guests enjoyed small-production wines, great music, and delectable foods.  Two of the wines featured were our single-vineyard Heintz Chardonnay and our single vineyard Solomon Hills Pinot Noir, both of which sold out due to their high demand.  The soft Latin jazz, performed by Tres, provided a laid back wine country atmosphere.  Guests devoured the savory meal provided by Rolli Roti.  Rotisserie chicken, porchetta, and rosemary fingerling potatoes enveloped our courtyard with their mouth-watering aromas.  Of course, Landmark can’t have a successful event without Pat and his vast wine knowledge.  His horse-drawn wagon tours of the vineyard have become a great staple here at Landmark Vineyards.  If you missed the event this year, be sure to mark our Harvest Party as a must-attend for next year.  And, of course, if you came this year, we will see you again next year!

Visit our event photo album on Facebook.

What comes to mind when you think about Cabernet Sauvignon? Maybe for you it might be the power in its aroma and its fruit driven structure in its body. What about Zinfandel? For me it would be exotic aromas of spicy and jammed fruits that fill your glass so easily.  What about Syrah? When was the last time you had a Syrah that made you tilt back in your chair and force you to contemplate the every opening layers of flavor and complexity or even better when was the last time you sought out a tasting room just to try their Syrah’s? Unfortunately, I feel the answer that most of you will give is one of uncertainty, and I can’t blame you. But why is that? Why is a grape variety that in the early 2000’s was supposed to be the next big and market changing grape variety almost unheard of for producing high quality Californian wines?

Even from 2009 to 2010, there was a decrease of approximately 6,000 tons of Syrah that was crushed for wine making. That is about 3,600,000 bottles!! Now granted, there are almost countless factors that affect a grape varieties overall outcome in the market from the uncontrollable like weather that effects grape growing to the controllable such as how long the wine is in barrel and even going to the truly incomprehensible affects like consumer preference. These are just a few but the list is ever increasing and painfully complicated.

What has happened to Syrah?

This question continues to come up and it would seem that it would need at least a book or two to completely cover all of the possibilities. However, I feel that we can point our finger at production differences. Currently in America (well mostly California, let’s be honest), there is no defined style for our Syrah. Why try to replicate the Northern Rhone or even Australia that have a defined niche in our markets? In terms of winemaking, I am hoping for a move that will focus on discovery rather than simply a shift in an already established style.

So what did happen to American Syrah? I can’t honestly say for certain if Syrah is ever going to reach it’s potential laid out so many years ago. But what I can say in certainty is that in the past few vintages, I have seen amazing quality increases in California Syrah’s, mostly in terms of moving away from high alcohol in favor of balance and in my mind this at least warrants a second taste. So leave the Cabernet or Zin on the shelf tonight and grab a glass of Syrah, you might be surprised!

We harvested our first vineyard Monday, September 17^th.  We brought in a small amount (a little over six tons) of our Flocchini Vineyard pinot noir.  This delicious fruit will make its way into our 2012 Grand Detour Pinot Noir.   The Flocchini brothers, Andrew and Nick, farm this vineyard which is planted to both Chardonnay and Pinot Noir in the Sonoma Coast AVA.  We are fortunate enough to get both varietals from them.  These guys are so great to work with.  They are the real deal.  Andrew and Nick look exceptionally calm and relaxed in this photo because it was taken in early spring – even before bud bread.  Right now?  They are on the run.  No posing in the vineyard for us during harvest!   We thank them for their dedication to the fruit.

This is truly the time of year we all look forward to.  It’s always a little nutty, but more than anything it’s fun.  The winery smells completely and utterly intoxicating with the smell of fresh grapes and fermenting wine fills in the air.   I’ll be trying to keep up our blog update to date as more grapes start rolling into the winery.   I’ll be sharing more about our growers, too.  This is their time to shine.  It’s like Christmas morning everyday here at the winery as Greg and our winemaking team wait for each load to arrive.  Greg usually likes to greet the growers and their fruit when they arrive.  He is sure to pluck a few berries from the bins to check out the quality.  Thus far, he has been more than pleased with grapes.

The idea behind the “Green Drop” is that we will be sacrificing a percentage of the underdeveloped clusters on each vine that are located in the fruiting zone and the rouge clusters that grow up in the leafy canopy. Essentially, there is only a set amount of sugars, minerals and water that each vine can absorb.  As a result of “Green Dropping,” the remaining clusters can attain higher levels of the precious sugar and minerals and ripen slightly quicker. This practice contributes to the concentration in the fruit so that in the end, we have a richer and higher quality wine.

Also occurring at this time is an innovative practice that actually involves pruning the roots! Yes, that’s right!  We actually trim back the growing roots of each grapevine. This is accomplished by a tractor pulling a small plow attachment down the middle of each row. This adds a stress factor to each vine and actually signals the vine to increase sugar output to the clusters.  Additional beneficial effects are keeping the berries nice and small as well as encouraging thick skins that add color and flavor to our wines.

This is one of my favorite times at the winery as we are sitting on the cusp of our harvest and the craziness that comes along with it! I hope you are able to come out to the estate and see firsthand the vineyard practices that truly set our wines apart!

Drink what you like, but understand why you like it!

Brian Connor, CSW

Assistant Tasting Room Manager

brian@landmarkwine.com

We invite you to pull out (or purchase if you haven’t already done so) a bottle of 2011 Rose, grill up this recipe and invite some guests over. We promise they will be talking about this meal for the rest of the summer!

Grilled Pomegranate Rabbit Recipe

Ingredients:

Two 3-pound rabbits cut into 1/4s
Olive oil spray
Salt and pepper
Marinade:
1 cup Pom pomegranate juice
1/2 olive oil
3 tablespoons finely chopped shallot
1 teaspoon crushed garlic
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1 tablespoon honey
2 tablespoons soy sauce

Step 1 – Combine all the marinade ingredients in a Ziploc style plastic bag. Add the rabbit pieces, close opening and swish them around to make sure everything is well coated. Refrigerate for 12 hours or overnight.

Step 2 – Prepare the grill and bring to a medium hot flame (about 450 degrees). Remove rabbit from marinade and pat dry. Add the marinade to a saucepan and reserve. Spray rabbit with olive oil and dust with salt and pepper. Place on grill, cover and allow to brown. Turn rabbit over and brown on the other side. Reduce heat and cook for another 10 to 15 minutes. Meanwhile, bring the marinade to a boil and reduce over high heat until slightly thickened. Strain. Remove rabbit and place on a platter and drizzle the sauce over it.

If rabbit is not available in your local store, quail would be a good substitution.

The Braised Beef Short Ribs with Black Mission Figs recipe is a must-try alongside Landmark’s 2010 Kivelstadt Syrah, which will be available for purchase starting next week (on our website and in our tasting room)! The wine’s savory notes of soy sauce and pepper make it an ideal match for a well marbled beef short ribs recipe like this one. Give the recipe a whirl, invite some friends over and pour a bottle of Kivelstadt Syrah and let us know what you think!

Braised Beef Short Ribs with Black Mission Figs
Serves 6

Marinade:
3 tablespoons minced garlic
1 tablespoon salt
1 tablespoon pepper
1 tablespoon chopped parsley
1 tablespoon chopped thyme
1/2 cup + 1 cup red wine
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon sherry vinegar
6 short ribs (2” x 3 ribs)
salt + pepper
2 tablespoons canola oil
3 celery stalks, medium dice
1 carrot, peeled, medium dice
2 medium onions, medium dice
3 roma tomatoes, rough chop
10 cups Veal Stock, can substitute veal demi
1 cup diced dried Black Mission Figs
1 bouquet garni

Mix together the garlic, salt, pepper, herbs, 1/2 cup red wine, 1/2 cup oil and sherry vinegar. Pour over the ribs and marinate for at least 12 hours. Preheat grill or BBW. Scrape the excess marinade off the ribs and season with salt & pepper. Sear the ribs on each side on the grill. Set the ribs aside.

Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a large roasting pan. Add the carrots, onions, celery and cook over medium heat until the vegetables are caramelized. Add the tomatoes and cook for 5 minutes. Deglaze with the red wine. Add the veal stock, figs, bouquet garni and ribs. Bring to a simmer. Cover and place pan in oven and roast for 4 hours. Every 1/2 hour turn ribs and remove excess fat. Remove the ribs, smother with sauce and serve.

Grilled Coffee Marinated Pork Tenderloin

1/2 cup freshly ground coffee beans
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 tablespoons molasses
1/4 cup maple syrup
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/2 teaspoon crushed garlic
2 tablespoons lime juice
1 teaspoon chipotle hot sauce (tabasco brand)
1-1/2 teaspoons grated fresh ginger
salt and pepper
2 pork tenderloins (about 3 pounds total)

1. In a blender or food processor, combine all the ingredients except the pork.

2. Process until almost smooth. Transfer to a plastic resealable bag.

3. Trim excess fat from the tenderloins and remove the silver skin. Add them to the marinade and reseal bag.

4. Refrigerate for 24 to 48 hours.

5. Heat a barbeque grill. Remove pork from marinade and pat dry. Spray them with Pam. When the grill is hot lay the tenderloins on it spray side down. Cook turning often until the meat reaches 130 to 135 degrees with a meat thermometer. Remove and allow to rest for 10 minutes before slicing. Serve with a salsa of sweet corn, sugar snaps and chopped tomatoes.

Grilled Cantaloupe
1. Grill cantaloupes on 1 side until showing frill marks, about 3 minutes. Remove and brush with honey and dust with just a little cayenne. Serve with the pork.