Those who spent many a fine fall afternoon camped in front of the television watching America’s team — that is, the 1970s Dallas Cowboys — dominate on distant fields of artificial turf will remember the “we will sell no wine before it’s time” pitch.
It seems that Gregory Graham learned something from the corny slogan, only he applied the tenets of pace and quality to the field with great sincerity.
Sugar levels? pH numbers? For his award-winning 2012 syrah, Graham ignored the pedantic measurements that determine harvest for most winemakers.
“I go by how the vines look,” he explained. “It’s kinda like I pick them when they need to be picked.”
Clearly his agrarian instincts are spot on. The 2012 vintage Gregory Graham syrah is an elegant, old world wine — yet one with enough audacity to light up the most casual occasion.
It calls to you on the nose with bushels baskets of ripe and freshly picked blackberries. There is something in all of us that yearns for pastoral quiescence, a spell where the chatter of birds and the meadow breeze brushes aside demands of a workday. The syrah offers this — a ruffle of herbs to warm the bright berries, a trace of earthy black olives and soft spice, a drizzle of chocolate.
The aromas are autumnal and compelling. And they are completed on the palate, as almost brazenly fresh berries tumble from the glass. The weight of all this produce begins to press and condense, developing into a rich, stewed blackberry flavor.
Now, syrah is noted for its fruit forward stance. But in the 2012 from Gregory Graham, the jammy sensation ebbs just briefly, allowing earthier impressions of pepper and chocolate, pitted black olives and drops of aged vanilla to lend balance and depth. An herbal draft speaks of kitchen gardens and the waning of summer, lending a European finesse to the glass.
On the finish, the ripe fruit returns, balanced by dry, earthy spice.
It is a warming, intricate wine with enough verve to call its hauteur into question. There is a natural character to the wine, reminiscent of old world harvests and the vasty fields of France. Yet it suits wine sophisticates and those who just want an enjoyable wine in equal measure.
Graham rested the syrah in mostly French oak, tempered with a little American wood hewn from the rustic Missouri hills. But he credits Lake County terroir for the outcome.
Soil variations on the well-drained slopes of the Red Hills AVA caused the grapes to ripen — to look right — at different times. He picked at five different times over a two-week span. And the strained volcanic ridge thinned out grape clusters, concentrating the flavors.
“I just used my standard winemaking protocol,” said Graham, who prefers to let the grapes tell their story. “It was a good vintage.”
Yes, good enough to earn Best of Class from judges at the 2017 San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition.
In other words, Graham’s approach in the vineyard — picking no grapes before their time — created one very impressive wine.
Dave Faries can be reached at 900-2016
