Noble Intrigue

It is common as winemakers for a particular wine to be attached to a vivid, sometimes visceral memory formed at some point along its journey in the winery. For the 2019 Noble Intrigue that came before it was ever wine and before the grapes had even landed in the winery. After loading the nearly 5 tons worth of Syrah onto our truck and trailer, about halfway through the 70 some-odd mile journey between the vineyard and the winery I experienced one of the most traumatic blown tires of my life as the two passenger side tires of the trailer exploded on an overpass South of San Luis Obispo. I was able to pull off the highway and onto the off-ramp of South Higuera Street, and was even able to park in a nice shady spot while I waited for help, but it took nearly two hours and countless phone calls before finding someone to replace the tires and send me on my way. While it was somewhat of a miracle that no grapes or people were harmed in the ordeal, the real thing of beauty was the resulting wine that almost never was. The 2019 is a stark contrast to the tight and savory 2018; Vivid expressions of fruit and a general openness to the wine are title features, and extended time in barrel of 26 total months aids in an approachability that oftentimes takes years of cellaring before seeing. This is another progressive step for a wine that we are learning more and more about with every vintage.