2010 TOR Rock Syrah Hommage Allan Hudson Vineyard

The red wines start with a super 2010 Syrah Hommage Allan Hudson Vineyard. For its quality, this is a great value. From Lee Hudson’s Vineyard, Tor used 30% whole clusters and believes 2010 is the best vintage for Syrah that he has seen since 2006. It offers a peppery, meaty perfume displaying hints of bouquet garni, charcoal, incense, blackberries, cassis and a touch of black olives. Supple and sexy, this northern Rhone-like Syrah is richer, more intense and voluptuous than a French Rhone. Enjoy it over the next 7-8 years. Tor Kenward, the long-time PR rep for the Beringer empire, has his own project for a number of years and he continues to build an impressive portfolio of fascinating wines that reflect his love of Napa Valley and his own personal preference for complex wines. Incidentally, he has one of the great wine collections of Napa and he is one of those true connoisseurs who is happy to share his best bottles. While production levels for the wines in this portfolio are relatively small, all of them are top-notch, interesting efforts. Tasting through three vintages of Tor’s Cabernet Sauvignons left me with the impression that this winery continues to go from strength to strength. Despite the issues of valley floor vineyards, Tor has done well in 2011. He told me that the rot that afflicted many valley floor vineyards was very site specific, and the only way to ensure clean, pure wines was low yields, open canopies, culling out affected bunches or berries, and Draconian-like sorting procedures. It appears he has done all of that given the success of his 2011s, which, with the exception of the Cimarossa, are low elevation vineyards. I also tasted five barrel samples from 2012, a large, easy vintage with no problems of any serious consequence. Tel. (707) 963-3100