DeRose was our third stop on my girlfriend outing to Hollister in August 2019, when we were hosted by Alphonse DeRose, winemaker! Our tasting was inside the actual winery where we got to talk to actual winemakers!
The Cienega Valley AVA (established 1982) is located in western San Benito County, California, United States. It is part of the larger Central Coast AVA. “The valley was once a major source of wine grapes for Almaden Vineyards before it was acquired by Constellation Brands in 1987. Approximately 1,100 feet (340 m) above sea level, the valley floor is divided by the San Andreas fault. Soil on the east side of the fault is predominantly granite and sandstone, whereas soils on the west side of the fault are predominantly granite and limestone.” http://wine.appellationamerica.com/wine-region/Cienega-Valley.html
About DeRose www.DeRosewine.com : “DeRose Vineyards was established on land with wine history dating back to the 1850s when Theophile Vaché produced the estate’s first vintages. The winery changed hands many times over the years and was eventually purchased by the DeRose, Cedolini and Miller families in 1988. Before long, Winemaker Pat DeRose rescued several acres of abandoned vines from the clenches of tall weeds and thistles, including two acres planted before 1900 that were grafted to Syrah in 1994.” You will also see links to their current wines and their imported wines on this page.
2015 DeRose Syrah Dryfarmed Old Vines, Cienega Valley AVA, 15.5% ABV, $37 (#73*)
About DeRose Syrah https://derosewine.com/fact_sheets/CV_Syrah_FS.pdf:
“The ancient Syrah vines are dry-farmed in deep sandy-loam soils on terraced hillsides…On average, they produce less than one ton per acre, and with only two planted acres, we produce about 100 cases per year, making the DeRose Syrah one of our most exclusive wines. Our Syrah underwent fermentation using native yeasts, meaning only the naturally occurring yeasts found in the winery actually fermented this wine. In addition, the Syrah underwent malolactic fermentation without using a culture. The wine is stored 100% in French oak barrels, without any pumping used to transfer our wines. The wine is then bottled un-fined and un-filtered to preserve all its flavors and mouth feel.”
“This big, bold Syrah is full of blueberry fruit, smoked bacon and a touch of toasted oak. Robust ripe tannins make this wine suitable for heavier dishes like grilled meats, game, strong cheeses and salamis. Our Syrah has more structure and tannins than many other Syrahs on the market due to the cool climate of the Cienega Valley. This makes this wine suitable for aging an additional 5-6 years. We recommend decanting this wine prior to consumption.”
My Review: We ended up double decanting this wine – overall flavor and smell was originally a bit off for me. Dense purple in color. Upon opening, oak, alcohol and sulphur on the nose (sulphur dissipated with time). Huge blueberry, blackberry on the palate, with cherry, dark fruits and smokiness on the finish – a very big wine.”
You can buy their wines from their webpage above!
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