Deep Sea Central Coast 2008 Syrah 2-Pack
$49.99 (Normally $78.00) 36% off List Price
2008 Deep Sea Syrah, White Hawk Vineyard Santa Barbara County
CT link above

Winery website

I was curious about this one as I like central coast Syrahs: Here is a write up about this wine at snooth.com

"2008 Deep Sea Red Central Coast California, 14.9% Al

Syrah 74.3%, Petite Sirah 13.5%, Lagrein 5.8%, Merlot 3.7%, Mourvèdre 2.6%

Pretty fresh and crisp on the nose with a nice mulberry/wild black berry/ black currant jamminess that’s rich but not really sweet with very well-integrated notes of tobacco, bitter chocolate and grilled beef lurking under the fruit. Soft on entry then actually fairly angular with big, slightly rough tannins and plenty of integrated acidity supporting the earthy, bitter cocoa and violet-toned spice notes that help frame the bitter black cherry fruit, and a touch of prune on the back end. There’s a nice vein of espresso on the finish, which could be a bit longer but ends with nice, subtle layering. A pretty big wine, with a nice combination of fruit and savory, and a nicely managed oak treatment. 89pts"

Edit: This was for a different wine as pointed out by ajrod27. The current offer is different from the blend described by these notes.

With a brix of 28.9 degrees and alcohol of 16%, I'm guessing there is some residual sugar. Winery, any comment on the RS?

In for one.

stratma wrote:I was curious about this one as I like central coast Syrahs: Here is a write up about this wine at snooth.com

"2008 Deep Sea Red Central Coast California, 14.9% Al

Syrah 74.3%, Petite Sirah 13.5%, Lagrein 5.8%, Merlot 3.7%, Mourvèdre 2.6%

I think this is a different wine. Today's offering is a varietal, not a blend. That blend does looke pretty tasty though! I've never heard of the Lagrein varietal...

ajrod27 wrote:I think this is a different wine. Today's offering is a varietal, not a blend. That blend does looke pretty tasty though! I've never heard of the Lagrein varietal...

Sorry. That was my mistake.

The high alcohol content of this wine has me a bit concerned.

ajrod27 wrote:I think this is a different wine. Today's offering is a varietal, not a blend. That blend does looke pretty tasty though! I've never heard of the Lagrein varietal...

Really? I might still have a bottle lurking somewhere that we can open. 100% varietal. I think I prefer it blended.

I have really been into cold climate syrah's lately. This one seems so far off on the numbers though.... pH of 3.8 sounds like a drink very young.

trifecta wrote:Really? I might still have a bottle lurking somewhere that we can open. 100% varietal. I think I prefer it blended.

You're probably thinking of the Praxis Lagrein that was offered here last year as part of a mixed 4-pack.

I'm definitely intrigued. In for one! We need to boost our wine collection. I've been slacking off lately.

Doh - I was thinking today was National Sake Day. Looks like I was mistaken..

I've had the Deep Sea red blend. It was an offering on Lot18 a few months ago. If I'd known it was going to be that good, I would have bought quite a few more! It was fantastic.

I'd love to see what the single-vineyard varietal Syrah tastes like!

Some friends recently visited Santa Barbara and came home with a case of wine. Here are my notes from when I tried this one:

Pop & pour:
deep purple color, very nice legs in the glass.

Nose is smoky-meaty (in a good, syrah way, not in a bad smoke-taint way). A bit hot (no ABV on label, but now I'm not surprised to hear it's 16%). I'm not picking up much fruit or other notes - the smokiness really dominates.

Palate: black pepper; green/herbal notes; sour stone fruits (like sour cherry or plum skins) Pretty tannic. very long finish!!

In glass for 10 minutes:
Nose has softened. Getting less smoke and more cherry, blackberry, and apricot aromas
Some of the alcohol has blown off.

Mid-palate has filled in nicely with moderate sour-ish fruits (sour cherry, black raspberry, sour plum, tart/dried apricot), still retains the black pepper and the herbal notes, but they are more pleasantly on the finish now. Still has a very long finish.

This isn't a pop & pour wine, at least not right now. You will want to let this wine breathe a bit. I probably wouldn't vinturi, but opened on the counter or 20 minutes in a decanter would be a good way to open it up.

This is going to need some robust food for pairing. Good "winter foods" wine. Probably a good "sipping in front of a toasty fire" wine.

chipgreen wrote:You're probably thinking of the Praxis Lagrein that was offered here last year as part of a mixed 4-pack.

I didn't go in on that one. Mine came from a club shipment out of Paso. It was just ok.

ajrod27 wrote:With a brix of 28.9 degrees and alcohol of 16%, I'm guessing there is some residual sugar. Winery, any comment on the RS?

Thanks for the interest. You are correct in the residual sugar. We bottled it with 2.36g/L RS. Please enjoy that WhiteHawk Syrah. We used 2 clones from the Vineyard, clone 877 (dominate) and clone 7. Definetly made in the more reductive style and despite the higher pH, should show well for a number of years to come. Thanks again for the comments.

Andrew Adam
Winemaker-CFW

cjsiege wrote:Some friends recently visited Santa Barbara and came home with a case of wine. Here are my notes from when I tried this one:

Pop & pour:
deep purple color, very nice legs in the glass.

Nose is smoky-meaty (in a good, syrah way, not in a bad smoke-taint way). A bit hot (no ABV on label, but now I'm not surprised to hear it's 16%). I'm not picking up much fruit or other notes - the smokiness really dominates.

Palate: black pepper; green/herbal notes; sour stone fruits (like sour cherry or plum skins) Pretty tannic. very long finish!!

In glass for 10 minutes:
Nose has softened. Getting less smoke and more cherry, blackberry, and apricot aromas
Some of the alcohol has blown off.

Mid-palate has filled in nicely with moderate sour-ish fruits (sour cherry, black raspberry, sour plum, tart/dried apricot), still retains the black pepper and the herbal notes, but they are more pleasantly on the finish now. Still has a very long finish.

This isn't a pop & pour wine, at least not right now. You will want to let this wine breathe a bit. I probably wouldn't vinturi, but opened on the counter or 20 minutes in a decanter would be a good way to open it up.

This is going to need some robust food for pairing. Good "winter foods" wine. Probably a good "sipping in front of a toasty fire" wine.

CJSIEGE- Thanks for the input! Your tasting notes are practically identical to mine. Your comment on it not being a "pop and pour" wine hits the mark. We knew early on that this lot was going to be a mouthful of wine. Both clones used (877&7) complemented the blend nicely. I commented to other that despite the higher pH, the wine will show well for a number of years to come. Thanks again for your interest. Keep you eyes open next year when we bottle the 2011 WhiteHawk Syrah..it is flat out delicious!

Andrew Adam
Winemaker-CFW

conwayfamilywines wrote:Thanks for the interest. You are correct in the residual sugar. We bottled it with 2.36g/L RS. Please enjoy that WhiteHawk Syrah. We used 2 clones from the Vineyard, clone 877 (dominate) and clone 7. Definetly made in the more reductive style and despite the higher pH, should show well for a number of years to come. Thanks again for the comments.

Andrew Adam
Winemaker-CFW

Thanks for jumping in, Andrew. To be clear, I very much enjoy this style of wine occasionally so my question isn't coming from the "old world is the only way" camp. However, with the pH so high, why do you think this wine will hold for any longer than, say, a couple of years? Is the high level (in relation to what would otherwise be a dry-style wine) of RS going to allow this to age in spite of the low acid level?

conwayfamilywines wrote:CJSIEGE- Thanks for the input! Your tasting notes are practically identical to mine. Your comment on it not being a "pop and pour" wine hits the mark. We knew early on that this lot was going to be a mouthful of wine. Both clones used (877&7) complemented the blend nicely. I commented to other that despite the higher pH, the wine will show well for a number of years to come. Thanks again for your interest. Keep you eyes open next year when we bottle the 2011 WhiteHawk Syrah..it is flat out delicious!

Andrew Adam
Winemaker-CFW

Andrew - thanks for the confirmation! (I'm glad to know I'm tasting what you designed into the winemaking.)

I'm a huge fan of the Rhones, and it's great to see Syrah in the spotlight today.

For those of us who are foodies - or who are the firm believers that wine should be served in its "natural environment" (i.e., next to my dinner plate), what would you recommend I serve with your wine?

markshelton wrote:I've had the Deep Sea red blend. It was an offering on Lot18 a few months ago. If I'd known it was going to be that good, I would have bought quite a few more! It was fantastic.

I'd love to see what the single-vineyard varietal Syrah tastes like!

Hi Mark-
Glad you enjoyed the '08 Deep Sea Red, we were very pleased with it as well. Do give this 2008 WhiteHawk Syrah a try. The WhiteHawk is a rich, voluptuous cold climate Syrah. Only the very best barrels from the WhiteHawk lots made it into this blend. Enjoy and thanks for your interst!

Andrew Adam
Winemaker-CFW

cjsiege wrote:Andrew - thanks for the confirmation! (I'm glad to know I'm tasting what you designed into the winemaking.)

I'm a huge fan of the Rhones, and it's great to see Syrah in the spotlight today.

For those of us who are foodies - or who are the firm believers that wine should be served in its "natural environment" (i.e., next to my dinner plate), what would you recommend I serve with your wine?

I love your "natural environment" position! This past winter we had some friends over for dinner (local winemakers) and we served this White Hawk with Braised short ribs and a Hunter's sauce with rosemary in lieu of tarragon (my preference) and a potaoe/turnip mash. It was great with this Syrah!

Andrew Adam

kylemittskus wrote:Thanks for jumping in, Andrew. To be clear, I very much enjoy this style of wine occasionally so my question isn't coming from the "old world is the only way" camp. However, with the pH so high, why do you think this wine will hold for any longer than, say, a couple of years? Is the high level (in relation to what would otherwise be a dry-style wine) of RS going to allow this to age in spite of the low acid level?

Hi Kyle- great question and as well as a savvy observation. I am a huge fan of the Alban Syrah's and admittedly am biased for the simple fact I worked there for 9 years. Most agree that the high pH, low acid, ripe fruit is the formula for short lived wines, and more often than not it's true. I feel this is one of the "or not" wines. I opened a 2004 syrah I made last month. Very similar in style and #'s, pH 3.89, alc 16.2,TA under 6. Showed great but probably at its peak and may be good for another 2 years max. But that was an '04 in '12. The WhiteHawk was made in that style, unfined and unfiltered.
Thanks again for your thoughts and I never for a moment thought you were pushing the old vs. new position. Great comments Kyle! Thanks again.

Andrew Adam

I recently had this wine and I would agree with a lot of what cjsiege said above.

The nose was definitely meaty. I detected a high note of current or similar berry but underneath I kept thinking smoked meat. It was actually quite nice, not unpleasant in any way.

It is a beautiful plumb color. I has some when we first opened it and then about an hour later having been left open on the counter. It did open up after some time, but I don't believe this need a long decanting.

I also agree with the sour fruit note, my first thought was sour cherries. It definitely has a good amount of fruit. It was a little too tart for my taste though, similar to Sangiovese wines which I also find too tart. However, if you enjoy that characteristic in your wines, I believe you will like this.

I do love me some paso syrah. The last syrah we had from white hawk vineyard was great. But this is slightly over my current per bottle limit.