Halcón Alturas Syrah 2018
- Medium bodied
- California
There’s no shame in admitting you haven’t heard of Halcón before. This rising star of a cult producer from the Yorkville Highlands of Mendocino County (Mendo to locals) in Northern Cali lays claim to the highest-altitude vineyard in the region. The wind-lashed mountainous plot contains densely-planted vines grown in the same type of ancient shist soils that are found in Cote-Rôtie. Paul and Jackie Gordon, the team behind Halcón, are making arguably the closest thing to Rhône-style reds (and a bit of pinot noir) that can be found in North America (and doing it organically). These are rare wines that will reset your understanding of how much balance, nuance and complexity can come out of California wines.
Profile
Alturas syrah incorporates 4% viognier into its ferment with 50% whole bunch clusters. The wine then only sees older French oak, letting the fruit speak for itself. Jeb Dunnuck’s stellar review below does a wonderful job of describing the wine.
Reviews
Jeb Dunnuck
“The 2018 Syrah Alturas offers a more vivid, Côte-Rôtie-like style and has beautiful notes of black raspberries, spring flowers, peppered meat, and violets. More sappy underbrush and even a kiss of bacon fat emerge with time in the glass. and it's medium-bodied, has a silky, elegant texture, wonderful mid-palate depth, and enough tannins to warrant a year or three of bottle age. Beautifully done, this complex, elegant Syrah is going to evolve for 10-15 years or more.”
Full price $130.00 from the producer.
Mofo member price is always best price, 100% Happiness Guaranteed. If you find a better price to buy this wine elsewhere, contact our customer team now and we’ll beat it.
It’s cool, we get it, you want to know absolutely everything about this wine. Well here you go, go nuts.
Specs
- Region
- California
- Vintage
- 2018
- Cellaring
- 2030
- Preservatives
- Sulphites
- Alcohol by Vol.
- 13.4%
- Closure
- Cork
- Bottle Vol
- 750mL
- Blend Info
- 96% Syrah, 4% Viognier
- Serving Temp.
- 15°C
Region
California
Ah, Cali. You bring the world so many things. Route 66, Santa Monica, Big Sur (although I drove through at night without realising that one time... it was very dark), the Golden Gate Bridge. And oh the wine! Napa Valley, Sonoma, Santa Barbara and Paso Robles are some regions that come to mind, but that's just skimming the surface. From the big marques like Mondavi and Ridge to fringe pioneers like Sean Thackrey, there's as much wine to explore as there are sunsets to see and routes to cruise. Start here, then.