It is a great pleasure to once again offer Halcón wines for BerserkerDay. This year is the 2013 vintage (plus a few 2012 magnums).
We are offering a four-pack sampler of all the 2013 wines - the Prado Marsanne/Roussanne blend, Esquisto Mourvedre/Grenache, Alturas Syrah and, for the first time, Petite Sirah. This sampler is $110 + $10 shipping anywhere in the US (delivery free in Bay Area) + sales tax where applicable.
You can also buy a mixed case of the 2013 wines for $300 (plus $18 shipping to AZ, CA, CO, NM, NV, OR, WA, $24 to the rest of the US, Bay Area free and sales tax).The mixed case is three of each of the four wines.
We also have a few magnums of 2012 Alturas. $50 each plus $6 shipping (again Bay Area free delivery) and sales tax where applicable. Limit one per person.
Please email us your order to info@halconvineyards.com (please include a number where we can reach you for credit card details) or call Jackie at 408 828 1070.
Below is some info on the wines plus reviews for reference:
2013 Prado
The 2013 Halcón Prado once again comprises a blend of 50% Roussanne and 50% Marsanne, with all fruit from the outstanding Alder Springs vineyard. With this vintage we picked these grapes at an optimal, slightly lower, brix of 23.5, giving us a finished alcohol of 13.8%. The 2013 Prado is a hybrid of the two prior years – there is the honey, lychee fruit, creamy notes of the 2011 but also the crisper acids and spicy characteristics of the 2012. Aged in French oak, 20% new, bottled unfined and unfiltered.
2013 Esquisto
The frost in 2013 was particularly hard on the Grenache, an early budding varietal. As a result, the blend of the 2013 Esquisto switched from the 2012 vintage to 60% Mourvedre and 40% Grenache. Aged in used French oak puncheons. Just 60 cases bottled, unfined and unfiltered.
This wine really benefited from the warmer temps and extended hang-time, giving a slightly riper (14.4% alcohol) profile than the previous two vintages. There is an extra layering and depth. Surprisingly, given the higher proportion of Mourvedre, there is more red than black fruits.
_The 2013 Mourvedre Grenache, which was tasted as a barrel sample, offers a Rhone-like bouquet of black raspberry, leather and peppery spice. Possessing good overall freshness and a rounded, supple feel, this medium-bodied, easygoing, yet balanced effort should drink nicely on release and evolve gracefully through 2023. (Wine Advocate, Nov 2014) 90-92pt_s
2013 Alturas
The 2013 Halcón Alturas is 100% Syrah with just a few buckets worth of co-fermented Viognier. With the mature fruit and heavily lignified stems we made the decision to include (35%) whole-cluster for the first time. We utilized a single new French oak puncheon, providing 20% new oak. Bottled unfined, unfiltered. 120 cases produced.
We love the meaty, garrigue complexities from the stems. The maturity of the stems has avoided the coarse, green tannins that can result from whole-cluster fermentation. The strong fruit gives this wine some early accessibility but the excellent tannic structure should allow for good aging possibilities. The finished alcohol is 13.6%.
The 2013 Syrah is gorgeous on the nose, with loads of raw purple fruits, flowers, chocolate and violets all front and center. This leads to a medium to full-bodied, layered and pure Syrah that has sweet tannin and notable structure. Nevertheless, the overall impression here is one of upfront richness and texture. It should easily be an outstanding wine and evolve nicely for over a decade. (Wine Advocate, Nov 2014) 90-92pts
2013 Petite Sirah
The fruit for our inaugural Petite Sirah bottling came from a neighboring Yorkville Highlands vineyard. A low vigor, steeply terraced vineyard on the edge of ripening for Petite Sirah. This vineyard was previously utilized by Carlisle. Picked October 13th. Aged in 25% new oak. We used 35% whole-cluster for added structure and complexity. 14.6% alcohol.
The 2013 Petite Sirah is a smoking barrel sample that offers full-bodied richness and depth to go with gorgeous notes of black and blue fruits, wild herbs, underbrush and hints of tar. Voluptuously textured, layered and concentrated, it’s a serious looking wine that will have 10-15 years of longevity.(Wine Advocate, Nov 2014) 92-93pts
