Wine of the Week; 2009 Zotovich Cellars Estate Syrah

Every Thursday I feature a wine I particularly enjoy, whether it’s something new and different, is a great value, or from a producer worth checking out.  For this week, my Wine Of The Week is the 2009 Zotovich Cellars Estate Syrah.

Winery

Zotovich Cellars is a small (they produce about 1,700 cases of wine annually) family operated winery producing 100% Santa Rita Hills Estate Pinot Noir, Syrah, Chardonnay & Viognier.   The partners in the winery are the owner Steve Zotovich, and his nephew Ryan Zotovich who is the Winemaker.

Wine of the Week; 2009 Zotovich Cellars Estate Syrah
Steve & Ryan Zotovich (Vineyard Owner/Partner & Winemaker/Partner) – Image courtesy of Zotovich Cellars

I was introduced to Zotovich Cellars when we visited the Lompoc Wine Ghetto in April last year.  We had the good fortune of Pete Zotovich pouring for us.  The day we visited they were pouring this wine along with their Chardonnay, Rosé, Pinot Noir, and Reserve Pinot Noir. It was a close call, between this wine and their Reserve Pinot Noir, but I picked up this bottle of wine.

The Wine

One hundred percent of the grapes crushed into Zotovich wine are grown on their 35-acre Zotovich estate vineyard located off Route 246, between Melville and Foley.  The Santa Rita Hills AVA  is exposed to fog and coastal breezes from the nearby Pacific Ocean. The hills run east to west, which allows cool ocean breezes from the Pacific to enter the hills and create a cool micro-climate. As such, this is considered to be a “cool-climate” Syrah. Cool climate Syrah smells, and tasted different that its warm weather counter-parts.  They typically have higher levels of acidity and freshness.

While the wine was fermenting, it was punched down three times daily. Following primary fermentation, free run juice was extracted, barreled down and then the skins were gently pressed to extract the remaining wine.  Thereafter, the wine underwent malolactic fermentation before being bottled.

2009 Zotovich Family Estate Syrah
2009 Zotovich Family Estate Syrah

My tasting note follows:

Violet color with roasted dark fruit, pepper, and hints of fig and espresso aromas. On the palate, it’s medium-full-bodied, and nicely balanced with great acidity, supple tannins, and baked plum, pepper, and black currant flavors. Medium -Long finish. – 91 pts

Rating: Highly recommended. This wine is a great example of a “cool climate” Syrah.

Pair with:  This is a very food friendly wine in my book. Pair with lamb, sausages, chili con carne, venison, and hearty stews!

The Wine Geek Stuff:

Wine purchased for review

Related post you might enjoy:

Follow me on Twitter @martindredmond for all things wine, and since I’m a wino with latent foodie tendencies, you’ll also find food and wine pairings, and food related stuff!  Become a fan and join ENOFYLZ Wine Blog on Facebook. Cheers!

This article is original to ENOFYLZ Wine Blog.com. Copyright 2013 ENOFYLZ Wine Blog. All rights reserved.