2009 Cowhorn Syrah 80

Cowhorn’s 2009 Syrah 80 smells provocatively and complexly of dark cherry, cassis, beet root, violets, black tea, peat and prickly hints of radish. Pure-fruited; concentrated yet buoyant; and invigoratingly accented by radish and cherry pit, this brash, smoke-tinged Syrah of mere 13.5% alcohol offers a penetratingly persistent and strikingly distinctive variation on its familiar cepage, one that ought to be worth following for at least 6-8 years, if not longer. Southern Oregon’s extensive viticultural activities receive only a fraction of the attention accorded top wines of this State from the Left Bank of the Columbia Gorge or the southern reaches of Walla Walla – to say nothing of those from the Willamette Valley. That extraordinary quality and unique personalities can issue from the part of this State is proven definitively by the current releases from Cowhorn, an Applegate Valley vineyard first planted – almost exclusively to Rhone varieties (and relying in part on the latest clonal material from the Perrins at Tablas Creek) – by owners Bill and Barbara Steele in 2005, and from its inception prominently promoting its biodynamic and sustainable bona fides. The Steeles are at pains, though, to make sure that their strong environmental principles and faith in biodynamic viticulture aren’t misinterpreted as willingness to accept blemished wine for the sake of naturalness. “We have all the technology in the world at hand to help us get the berries off the vine perfectly,” she assures me. Squeezed between spring and autumn frosts, but often plagued by extreme heat and drought in mid-summer, this is a challenging region – in honor of which, the names of many of Cowhorn’s wines have prominently-displayed numerals appended to indicate the number of frost days experienced in the applicable parcel that season – but as the distinctively delicious and almost certainly highly versatile results at this fledgling estate with far-reaching ideals suggests, those climatic rigors might just bring with them unique vinous opportunities. Collectively, for example, I can’t recall experiencing an array of Syrahs so alluringly original from one and the same winery any place other than Edmunds St. John – but Steven Edmunds has historically sourced from a striking array of microclimates, soils, and Californian sub-regions, whereas Cowhorn’s Syrahs all grew in the same vineyard! About the 2011 vintage, Steele explains by way of perspective that “it was our coolest year yet by far, with only two-thirds of the degree days of 2006, but there was nothing tragic about it. They’ve got low pHs, but I don’t think our wines have suffered.” Amen to that! (And my palate and imagination are whetted for the 2011 reds, with whatever extremity they might display.) Barbara Steele is not afraid to admit how nature and the bank nearly conspired in its first years to put paid to Cowhorn. Savvy and serious wine lovers would do well to give thanks that this didn’t happen, and to do themselves the favor while showing their gratitude by buying these wines. Tel. (541) 899-6876