Hip Tastes Blog

Wind Gap Syrah - A New Fav for Girlfriend Eves
filed under: Winning Wines

This is Taylor Price, reporting again for Courtney on the fabulous world of California wines! Check out my other stories on Family Winemakers, Sangria and Pinky Vodka!

I was inspired to write a piece on Wind Gap Wines after experiencing the magnificence that is their 2006 Sonoma Coast Syrah. The combination of this wine, along with a delicious and totally pimped-out meal with some girlfriends, provided for one of those rare dining experiences you just can't get everyday - and probably shouldn't for your waistline's sake!

Wind Gap is actually the most recent wine venture (founded in 2008) of Pamela and Pax Mahle, the founders of Pax Wine Cellars - a Syrah powerhouse with vineyards located in the cooler regions of Mendocino and Sonoma County.

As stated on the Pax Wine Cellars website, the Mahles "believe that the cooler climates along the northern coast of California have the potential to produce world-class Syrah." They trust, along with many other California Syrah producers, that Northern California will be the next great Syrah region of the world, while still retaining its own unique Syrah-making flair (for an interesting view into Syrah's success in Cali, check out Jordan Mackay's well-written piece for Chow). Rather than attempting to emulate the classic Rhone methods, California vintners like Pax Mahle are committed to staying true to what is best for their grapes without following a strict European formula for success.

The Wind Gap Syrah comes from Sonoma Coast's Petaluma Wind Gap, a much cooler, wetter, and windier region than other areas of Sonoma. These unique growing conditions produce a low alcohol, incredibly juicy and spicy wine which perfectly complements the oncoming fall season. This was the juiciest Syrah I have ever tasted - the flavors seem to explode in your mouth as if you were eating a handful of just-picked berries. The low alcohol content of this wine (only 12.1%), really lets you enjoy its full, pungent flavors. The mixture of the heady berry flavor, along with a medium spiciness to help check it, was simply a beautiful combination. This wine made all of our dishes stand out much more than they would have on their own. We had a good mix of meat and poultry, and the wine only enhanced each dish. I found that my smoked California squab breast served with a sauce of reduced cherries was this wine's ultimate soul mate. The combination was that good! All three of us kept reaching over the table, sampling everything on each other's plates while pausing to take sips in between bites - the "ooo-ing" and "ahhhh-ing" was probably heard at the table across the room! One thing we all most definitely learned - wine like this truly deserves maximum communal enjoyment!!

If interested, join the Wind Gap Wines mailing list to get more information about their wines and winery!

Happy drinking, Tay

Posted by Courtney on September 17, 2009 11:16 AM