Qupé 2010 Bien Nacido Vineyard Syrah
A California resident, Bob Lindquist named his winery “qupé” to honor the Chumash, the indigenous people of the Golden State’s Central Coast and Channel Islands. Since many of the sounds of the Chumash language have been obscured by time, Bob gave “qupe” its pronunciation (“kyoo-pay”), with an accent on the final syllable. In Chumash, “qupé” refers to the poppy, a flowering plant traditionally used for food and medicine. Pictured on the winery’s label, a stylized poppy stands amid a swirl of stems studded with leaves and seed pods. The arresting image – originally intended as an embroidered motif for bed linens – was selected from designs associated with Gustav Stickley, the famed furniture maker and champion of the Arts and Crafts movement of the early 1900s. Ann Johnson, one of Qupé’s original shareholders, discovered the design in a book of clip art available for public use. She sent a copy of the art to Bob, who immediately recognized it as the perfect image for his wine label. The original design resembled a wine glass, but Bob tweaked it to look more like a poppy, in keeping with his intention to pay homage to the region’s earliest residents.
Opening a bottle of 100% Syrah from Bien Nacido Vineyard in the Santa Maria Valley, the color was a clear dark ruby, with a clean warm spicy nose, slightly floral. The palate revealed strong tannins, still with the fruit, ripe raspberries, coming through and ample pepper and dried fruit tastes. The cool climate and whole cluster fermentation adds the warm spice to this wine. The wine was aged for 19 months mostly in French Oak (20% new), with 10% on new Hungarian oak. The strong tannins and balanced structure tells me you can sit this wine down for a few years. Outstanding wine for $23.
Cheers!
