Full Pull

• By Paul Zitarelli
  Full Pull Reoffers, 5/24/2017

  (Syncline Subduction Red) Hello friends. Reoffers today on a trio of wines that have been popular reorder targets for the past few months: Originally offered February 26, 2017. Excerpts from the original: I think we can all agree that one of the best trends to come out of the past decade of Washington winegrowing and winemaking is the emergence of Rhone blends as a very strong category for the state. But before all of those: Syncline’s Subduction Red. We’ve been offering it since the 2009 vintage, but I think it had already been around for at least five years then. In 2015 it is a six-variety blend: 52% Syrah, 21% Mourvedre, 11% Grenache, 10% Cinsault, 4% Carignan, 2% Counoise. It is fermented and aged in a combination of French oak (10% new) and concrete Nomblot cube tanks, bottled after just about a year to capture the freshness and vitality of the vintage. It clocks in at 14.2% listed alc and begins with a fresh, expressive nose: blueberry and espresso, sagebrush and rose petals; just lovely. What a brilliant wine this is for youthful drinking. It is chockful of character, of pleasure, offering supple, open-knit texture and a plush mix of fruit and earth tones. Wine Enthusiast: Copyrighted material withheld. [Sullivan context note: of the 107 Rhone reds reviewed by Mr. S. for Enthusiast, only ten have earned stronger reviews (two 94pt reviews; eight 93s), and those ten range in price from $30 to $85, with an average price of $52.50.]

• By Paul Zitarelli
  Full Pull Subduction, 2/26/2017

  (Syncline Subduction Red) Hello friends. Syncline is perhaps Washington’s most quietly thrilling winery. Quiet only because of their location (the Columbia Gorge, where they’re the flagship winery; an amazing region that any serious student of northwest wine would do well to visit), and because James and Poppie Mantone are such unassuming, salt of the earth types. James and Poppie have been part of the Washington vanguard since they launched their winery. They were early adopters of Rhone varietals, are one of the few producers able to coax something lovely out of Washington Pinot Noir, and in recent years have pushed the boundaries of white varieties and sparkling wines in the state. For freshness, for purity, for transparency, Syncline is tough to beat. Not to mention consistency. There’s a reason we’ve offered a whopping 53 wines from Syncline in Full Pull’s history; there never seems to be a dud in the bunch. Today our focus will be on the new vintage of Syncline’s outstanding value Rhone blend, Subduction. We’ll also include a pair of whites: a new offer for their Boushey Vineyard Picpoul, and a reoffer for their outstanding Gruner Veltliner. Originally offered February 26, 2017. Excerpts from the original: I think we can all agree that one of the best trends to come out of the past decade of Washington winegrowing and winemaking is the emergence of Rhone blends as a very strong category for the state. But before all of those: Syncline’s Subduction Red. We’ve been offering it since the 2009 vintage, but I think it had already been around for at least five years then. In 2015 it is a six-variety blend: 52% Syrah, 21% Mourvedre, 11% Grenache, 10% Cinsault, 4% Carignan, 2% Counoise. It is fermented and aged in a combination of French oak (10% new) and concrete Nomblot cube tanks, bottled after just about a year to capture the freshness and vitality of the vintage. It clocks in at 14.2% listed alc and begins with a fresh, expressive nose: blueberry and espresso, sagebrush and rose petals; just lovely. What a brilliant wine this is for youthful drinking. It is chockful of character, of pleasure, offering supple, open-knit texture and a plush mix of fruit and earth tones. Wine Enthusiast: Copyrighted material withheld. [Sullivan context note: of the 107 Rhone reds reviewed by Mr. S. for Enthusiast, only ten have earned stronger reviews (two 94pt reviews; eight 93s), and those ten range in price from $30 to $85, with an average price of $52.50.]