TN: 2007 Cowan Cellars Bennett Valley Syrah Dry Stack

We were disappointed that our amigo Florida Jim Cowan couldn’t make this year’s Rednecks & Red Rhones event, but we were very geeked that he sent a sample of his unreleased Syrah. Jim has followed on the heels of that Rodney Dangerfield of New Wave California winemakers, Russell Bevan, and here is our first impression of how he’s doing.

2007 Cowan Cellars Bennett Valley Syrah Dry Stack Vineyard, 13.9% alc.: This wine is pretty in every way, from the dark color to the nose and right on through the flavors. Polished and floral, it exudes a lovely perfume of rich sweet plum and violet that follows through so nicely on the palate; BEB added impressions of brown sugar and blackberries. Smooth, balanced and elegant, it shows no rough edges or bumps in the road, although a few thought it showed a little heat. Steve South opined that this “is like walking through a field of perfectly manicured violets.”

-From Rednecks & Red Rhones 2009 or Edwards Got Wrecked & So Did I

Reporting from Day-twah,

geo t.

May be the last vintage you will be able to drink Dry Stack vyd wines.. ..I believe the name is being changed to Grey Stack or something like that due to some cockamamie complaint from Dry Sack concerned about people mistaking the Dry Stack wines from California for the Dry Sack Sherry..I am sure, howeveer, that Russell's wines and those of Florida Jim will not suffer from the name change

You lucky dawg, geo! The rest of the wine Internet is still waiting to hear if they'll get a much-coveted space on the mailing list, and you've already tried the stuff. Cool label, too. That Cowan guy's a class act

Mark Lipton

[Jenise]

due to some cockamamie complaint from Dry Sack concerned about people mistaking the Dry Stack wines from California for the Dry Sack Sherry..

Oh please, really?

Hmmm...Gallo didn't buy Dry Sack, did they?

Not bad!

Sounds a little soft. What was the acid/tannin structure like?

Thanks for the note George. What kind of oak treatment did this wine receive? Was it at all noticeable?

Jenise/George..minor error..the vineyard name does remain Dry Stack..the winery name has been changed to Grey Stack as a result of the action brought by Dry Sack..If you look at the winery website, they have superimposed Grey stack over Dry Stack..Home page has a brief comment re same

Jenise..must add a thank you..prompted by your post , I signed up for their mailing list,created an account and ordered some of their highly praised Sauvignon Blanc..Given the copious amounts of praise for this wine on the internet, i didn't think any wd be available..Wd have ordered some of the Syrah but I am on a self imposed moratorium re buying reds..Bought wayyyy too many reds inthe past 6-7 mos..just buying whites for now

Jon

What kind of oak treatment did this wine receive? Was it at all noticeable?

6 months in 5 year old wood. Noticeable is individual to the taster, IMO; I notice none.

Sounds a little soft. What was the acid/tannin structure like?

The chemistry shows:
titratable acidity (FTIR) 0.65 g/100mL
volatile acidity(acetic) 0.042 g/100mL
pH (FTIR) 3.49
IMO, the tannins are more supple than would be expected for the variety and clone.
Best, Jim

IMO, the tannins are more supple than would be expected for the variety and clone.
Best, Jim

Was that a function of the weather or something you wanted to achieve in the winemaking?

Regardless, sounds interesting. Good luck with future versions!

IMO, the tannins are more supple than would be expected for the variety and clone.
Best, Jim

Was that a function of the weather or something you wanted to achieve in the winemaking?

Both.
The weather allowed physiological ripeness without high brix.
The clone used is, more often than not, quite tannic, so I went to some lengths to keep the ferment cool, the extraction and pressing gentle and the handling minimal.
Best, Jim

The clone used is, more often than not, quite tannic

Jim,

Which clone is this? The first harvest from my 877 on Riparia will be this fall and am not sure what to expect.

The clone used is, more often than not, quite tannic

Jim,

Which clone is this? The first harvest from my 877 on Riparia will be this fall and am not sure what to expect.

877.
I know a number of syrah winemakers who don't like this clone, probably for that very reason. But despite its tendency toward tannic structure, it also has some very expressive aromatics (violet, purple fruit, blueberry, pepper). Handled gently, I think it can make an unusual syrah (not all the smoke, meat, blood stuff) that can drink well from the get-go.
But I also think it makes a wine that closes down - and when it does, all that structure is all you get. So, timing is everything.
Dry Stack has a relatively cool climate and, as mentioned, the brix at picking was lower than most other CA syrah - that helped by not only keeping alcohol down but by keeping textures feminine.
IMO, when dealing with this clone, one must go out of the way to keep temps. cool and handle it gently.
But then, the wine I am looking for is likely lighter and less typical than most.
Best, Jim

Thanks Jim. Appreciate your insights.