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Willowbrook Syrah

Year

2010
Varietal

Syrah
Style

Bold
Origin

United States
Pairing

Meat
$28.00 per bottle
Qty: 

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Origin
Less than an hour’s drive north of San Francisco and due west of Napa Valley, rests the Sonoma County appellation. A very large, geographically and climatically diverse region, Sonoma County produces the greatest variety of wine types and styles of any wine-producing region in the world. Resting on the western flank of Spring Mountain, a stone’s throw from the Napa County line, the Alte Vineyard is located in eastern Santa Rosa’s Rincon Valley area.
Pairings
This Syrah from Alte Vineyard offers considerable culinary interest for carnivores thanks to its ability to partner with robust braised foods and a diverse array of grilled meats. Meanwhile, vegetarians will appreciate its flexibility with grilled eggplant, mushrooms and zucchini, as well as many types of cheese, especially those crusted with herbs or dusted with ash.

Serve at cool room temperature (62°F).
Grilled Racks of Lamb with Smoky Seasonings
Winemaker
Joe Otos was a 22-year-old Computer Science student at Sonoma State University when he got the dreaded bug: Vino Enthusia Rapturosis. He, like so many before him, casually stepped into a winetasting room and was hopelessly stricken. He started working at Ravenswood Winery while he finished his studies and then spent the next four years at Wellington Vineyards. Joe was 26 when he met two retired executives, John Tracy and Ed Sillari, who were looking for ways to channel their own passion for wine. Together, with Otos providing the winemaking expertise, they started crafting wine under the Willowbrook label in 2001.
The Wine
At a fit 6 feet, 8 inches tall, Joe Otos is larger than life and a commanding presence, indeed. (It is rumored that he was 47 pounds, 9 ounces at birth, and that the grapes take one look at him and crush themselves!) But he brings a very light touch to his winemaking. While the folks at Willowbrook are dedicated primarily to Pinot Noir, they also produce small, vineyard-designated lots of other varieties, like this 2010 Syrah. It is a seductively lush and fruit-forward wine, where ripe blueberry and loganberry— along with notes of chocolate, smoke, earth and lavender—regale the olfactory and gustatory senses. The wine is sumptuous and full-bodied, but its bright acidity provides focus, restrained exuberance and a long, lusty finish.

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