TN: 2015 Ser Winery Syrah Coastview Vineyard: I’m taking some antihistamine nose spray thingy which messes with my nose, so can’t say what it smells like - but it’s a clean, crisp smell, no barn or funk. After about 1hr decant: Initially it comes off a little light in the attack, but right after starts filling out and covering the walls. I get a little bit of dried meats, leather and deep fruit. The funny thing is that the fruit comes “late”, not early, as is usual. It’s more like a back of the throat fruit sensation, if that at all makes sense. It’s not at all heavy or cloying, but it’s certainly still a Syrah. I detect very little oak. Absolutely wonderful. On the back label it says from (board member Nicole Walsh) that she only produced 65 cases. I’m frankly shocked any of it is left after so much time. She has a special going on here and you should do yourself a favor and get some. This is great, expressive, but not showy, CA new generation winemaking. 93pts.
Thanks for the note adam. I need to write more notes on Ser’s wines. I haven’t popped one of these yet. Coastview is a site that usually has so much structure I don’t like to touch it for 5 years. Nicole doesn’t make BIG wines, all of them are restrained and elegant. Will be watching for other notes…
BTW: I love your notes. They’re thoughtful and well written. Have you considered posting them to Cellar Tracker.
Sean
Thanks Adam for your thoughtful notes. Nicole
Thank you Sean. Yes, I would like to be able to do it on CT and then export it here, like I see some do. Do you know how do you do that? Someone once explained it to me, but now I can’t find it.
BTW, Nicole - can’t find any Ser wines on Cellartracker
Here’s a link to Ser on Cellar Tracker:
And Here’s a link that explains how to post a review on Cellar Tracker to wine berserker. It’s fairly straightforward.
NOTE: if you click on the screen shots in the post it will blow them up so you can see the details…
Sean
I’ve only had a few Ser wines but I liked them quite a bit. And if I’m not mistaken, she also has a Cabernet Pfeffer, at least a rosé that I recall enjoying immensely.
TN: 2015 Ser Winery Syrah Coastview Vineyard: I’m taking some antihistamine nose spray thingy which messes with my nose, so can’t say what it smells like - but it’s a clean, crisp smell, no barn or funk. After about 1hr decant: Initially it comes off a little light in the attack, but right after starts filling out and covering the walls. I get a little bit of dried meats, leather and deep fruit. The funny thing is that the fruit comes “late”, not early, as is usual. It’s more like a back of the throat fruit sensation, if that at all makes sense. It’s not at all heavy or cloying, but it’s certainly still a Syrah. I detect very little oak. Absolutely wonderful. On the back label it says from (board member Nicole Walsh) that she only produced 65 cases. I’m frankly shocked any of it is left after so much time. She has a special going on here and you should do yourself a favor and get some. This is great, expressive, but not showy, CA new generation winemaking. 93pts.
I like the funk. I don’t find it a flaw.
Adam - I see 27 entries for Ser Wines in CT, although only 89 bottles in inventories (after I added my recent six). Not easy to find in a general search, as “Ser” brings up 167 pages of results. Another way to look is to click on Advanced Search, then Producer, then scroll down through the “S” entries and select Ser.
Cheers!
Steve
Yeah, Sean’s link got me to her wines. Bizarre that I couldn’t find it on a general search. Well, well.
That’s a great, fascinating vineyard. Ridge top on the Gabilan Mountains. (Not far from the Calera vineyards, which are down on the lee side.) Two soil types. You can walk around to see every direction, including over the Salinas Valley to the coast. Vines following the contours, facing every direction. I got a half ton for my non-commercial group back in 2010, picking Nov. 3, when the first blocks had been picked 6 weeks prior. Two of the remaining blocks I had to choose from were still on the early side of ready. The other was only suitable for rose (good, though). There’s since been grafting over of some blocks to optimize what’s planted (Ian Brand, consultant), plus some expansion and tuning for Bradley Brown, who loves the site. (His Bdx blend from there is really good, btw.)
There was a storm front coming that made me think I needed to make the pick call. Talked to the owner and he said not to worry, the clouds will be below them! Yup. It’s one of those sites with unusually low disease pressure. (Don’t know if they need to spray at all.) The “cover crop” is a low/small growing form of native white sage.
Thanks for the info Wes. You know I love some Coastview vineyard and its great see so many expressions from local wine makers. For Big Basin its basically there 2nd estate vineyard they produce so much from their.
That Barton Orchard/Gang of ? Syrah was really nice last time you opened one.
Sean
la
When we first moved down to Salinas, we began a ‘Coastview Vineyard’ label in partnership with the owners, John and Julie Allen. We produced an estate label, but we didn’t see eye to eye on the wines. John didn’t feel I was doing a very good job with the winemaking because the wines weren’t of a style that he enjoyed. I haven’t been involved up there since 2012. It’s a pretty epic site and really deserved to be seen in the light we were presenting it, but I moved on and have collected a few other places to work out of. Bradley does a good job with the wines. Nicole is an excellent winemaker. There’s some Maidenstoen Riesling from up there that’s pretty great. The bordeaux block from the top of the vineyard has always been the best block, along with a section of syrah we used to call the ‘granite terraces’. John closed out the wines we made under coastview to a local wine club/tasting room, but they apparently rarely saw the floor because the staff was so enamored with the wines.
The vineyard is on the market if anyone has a cool 5 million laying around.
Ian
It’s a shame that the Coastview vineyards wines weren’t the style that was wanted as the 2007 and 2008 Syrah are wonderful wines. Still holding a few to see what happens but they were great young and middle aged so don’t expect anything but wonderful.
Brian,
You should have seen the 2010s that never made it to market. There were a couple of smokers in there. Oh well. More wines made, more wines to make.
So I’m confused now - does that mean Nicole won’t get the grapes any more? Too bad you guys didn’t see eye to eye on the wines, I would have loved to try them.
Greg, 2015 was the last year I produced a Syrah and Chardonnay from Coastview. That particular vintage of Chardonnay is perhaps my favorite wine I’ve made under Ser. I’m sold out of that and down to about 18 bottles of the Syrah. I hope to source from the vineyard again…