Recently purchased a mixed case from Andrew @ Briceland and decided to dig in this weekend.
2010 Briceland Syrah Lake County- USA, California, North Coast, Lake County (1/21/2013)
Briceland Vineyards 2010 Lake County Syrah (14.5% abv)
Beautiful deep magenta color that, ironically enough, was an almost perfect match to my drinking companion’s lipstick.
Nose revealed purple brambly fruit that picked up some savory notes with some time in the glass. No heat.
On the palate purple fruit, some bay leaf and a hint of white pepper. Medium bodied. Nice depth of fruit, but by no means fruity. The wine revealed a more savory character with additional time in the glass. Chewy, unobtrusive tannins, ample acidity with a lingering finish. Shows varietal character, yet doesn’t have much Syrah funkiness. A bit bigger than the 2009, but by no means a big wine. Should develop additional complexity with some age. Quite nice. (90 pts.)
2011 Briceland Vineyards Zinfandel- USA, California, North Coast, Mendocino County (1/21/2013)
Briceland Vineyards 2011 Mendocino County Zinfandel (13.9% abv)
Medium reddish-purple.
Brambly purple fruits on pop and pour; added a significant amount of black fruit with time in the glass.
Purple fruits in the glass with a touch of raspberry. With more time open, the red fruit receded into the background and the black fruits appeared. A hint of black pepper on the finish. No heat or apparent sweetness, which is a refreshing change from most Zins.
Medium body, Med- tannins, Med+ acidity, overall nicely balanced. The flavor profile reminded me a lot of the 2009 Carlisle Zinfandel Sonoma County that I drank last week, though the Carlisle had a bit more complexity and heat. Drinkable now, but could benefit from some short term cellaring to develop additional complexity. (89 pts.)
I hope that you didn’t take the tomato comment as a slight. I really tried tasting it but I didn’t (neither did my companion).
If you liked the 2010 Syrah, try to grab a bottle of the 2009. It’s a bit leaner and more complex, whereas the 2010 is a bit more crowd pleasing. Personally, I prefer the 2009.
I meant to jump in on this. In fairness to Tom, I noticed the a tomato-like note around the same time as Tom posted his note. I am not finding it now. He tasted that wine after it had been in bottle about 3 1/2 weeks. This little time it the bottle is starting to bring back the fruit that was very prominent in the BBL.
I was surprised by the change from day 1 to day 2. Really liked the black fruit and restraint of the wine. In Tom’s thread about your wines’ Chris Buchanan suggested that the climate lent itself to lower alcohol levels and more acidity, both of which I appreciate. Do you agree with this assessment? I stopped drinking Zin regularly when it became difficult to find one clocking in under 15.0% ABV. Was really pleased to see this come in under 14.0%.
The higher acid part, without question. The lower alc. part is probably true to some extent. It depends too on what we compare to. Lower than the rest of Calif. on average, yes, as a trend. Of course, brix at harvest has to do with so many factors, it would be hard to say that it is true as an absolute rule.
