Rarities Mixed Case
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In the eleven years that I have been making Byron Kosuge Wines, I have had the good fortune to work with many great sites and outstanding growers. Some, like Hirsch and the Shop, have become the core of my program, others have come and gone not because they were lesser in any way but because they were in some way impractical for me to continue, largely because of distance. A few months ago I was perusing the contents of my cellar and decided that I should revisit some of these wines. I am happy to say that they showed quite well and justified my initial interest in them, and I have enough bottles of each that I can share them with you, my most loyal customers. Each of the wines has a story. In chronological order, they are: 2008 "1313" Oregon Pinot Noir. "1313" is the name of a swimming hole in the mountains of central Oregon. Why name a wine after a swimming hole? It's a long story and I'll try not to go on too long here. In Oregon, for as long as I have made wine, there is a conference for winemakers and growers called "Steamboat." Not to be confused with resort in Colorado, this Steamboat is named after a set of falls on the North Umpqua River, and an inn located there which has served as the home of this event from the beginning. I have attended many times, and have always found the setting enchanting. After the serious stuff, the attendees adjourn to hiking, swimming and fishing before convening for dinner. The swimming hole is a few miles up a tributary to the Umpqua River and is an excellent place to relax and contemplate the wines we just tasted and life in general. It was the only name I considered when pondering what to call my Oregon adventure. The fruit comes from the Eola Amity Hills, not too far from Salem Oregon. It is a little cooler there than in Dundee or Newberg, as it is situated near the Van Duzer gap, where the sea breeze blows into the Willamette Valley. 2008 was a very good year in Oregon, and "1313" has all the precision and complexity that I associate with the best examples of Oregon Pinot Noir, in a year where there was also ripeness and generosity in the wines. 2009 Manchester Ridge Mendocino Pinot Noir. I worked with Manchester Ridge for four years. It is located in the mountains to the west of the Anderson Valley and is one of the most spectacular sites I have ever worked with. The wines from there were unfailingly exotic and combined richness with a precision that I found irresistible. 2009 was an excellent vintage in California, pretty much universally (at least for Pinot Noir) and the Manchester Ridge is no exception. It combines richness with grace in ways that are rare for California Pinot Noir. Even though it is now six years old, it requires air to open up. 2010 Soberanes Santa Lucia Highlands Pinot Noir. I have known Gary Franscioni, Gary Pisoni and his sons Mark and Jeff for many years now. One of the other labels I work for, Miura Vineyards, has been making a Pisoni and a Garys' Vineyard Pinot Noir since 1999, so you could say we go way back. In 2010, Mark offered a small quantity of fruit from what was then their newest vineyard, Soberanes, to several of the winemakers who were already working with Garys' Vineyard, to test out the new site. Since it is virtually contiguous with Garys' Vineyard, I figured it was likely to be pretty good. And it was/is. Pinot Noir in the Santa Lucia Highlands is naturally "bigger" and riper than what I generally make in the north coast. That's just how it grows down there. Soberanes has a silky plushness that is very reminiscent of Garys' Vineyard. Were I not committed to focusing on the north coast, I would have jumped at the opportunity to work with this vineyard. There you have it. Three remarkable sites, all of which have gone on to become famous in their own ways. I was lucky enough to be involved with them back when.
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