’ve been a fan of the wines of Qupé since tasting through a number of them a little over two years ago, so when National Sales Representative Rick Morrison asked recently if I might have the time to hook up for lunch and wine, I was only to happy to oblige. We made reservations at Zinc Brasserie in West Bloomfield Twp., and renewed acquaintances there on a cool, breezy late October afternoon. We didn’t waste any time with formalities, but got right down to tasting, and I wasn’t at all surprised to find that Bob Lindquist’s wines are as good, if not better than ever. Naturally, we started with some white selections.

2005 Qupé Santa Ynez Valley Marsanne, 84% Marsanne, 16%Roussanne, $18, 13% alc.: Bob Lindquist was the first to make Marsanne in the US, and this one shows how well he’s gotten at it over the years. Medium straw in color, with rich pear and melon flavors and aromas laced with a subtle minerality, it shows good heft, intensity, cut and length. Lindquist feels that this will age well for 7-15 years, and I’d like to try one in 2012 to see how it doing. Fermented and aged in neutral barrels, with full malolactic fermentation. Find this wine

2005 Qupé Santa Ynez Valley Viognier Ibarra-Young Vineyard, $30, 13.5% alc.: The grapes for this medium straw colored Viognier were picked a little early for better balance; the wine was also bottled early (in January of ‘06) because it was ready to go. It shows a curious, but undeniably attractive peach and lime personality, with pretty floral overtones, but they’re not the typical honeysuckle notes that so often manifest in California Viognier, nor is it as fat and ripe as those often are. Medium full bodied, with rich fruit and bright acids, this is a drink-me-now kind of wine, being very food friendly, and I like it a lot. Fermented and aged in 3 year old François Frères Burgundy barrels, with full malo.   Find this wine

2004 Qupé Santa Maria Valley Roussanne Bien Nacido Hillside Estate, $40, 14% alc.: The vines for this medium straw colored beauty were purchased from the Tablas Creek nursery of Beaucastel clones, and the wine shows its pedigree well, offering some subtle lanolin over bright white peach and yellow apple flavors and aromas. It features a smooth, lush texture, with just enough acidity to work well with food (it’s brilliant with Zinc’s escargot in garlic-pesto butter) and good length in the finish; it sees the same oak regimen that the Perrin family employs (once used François Frères Burgundy barrels), according to Rick. My better half and I got to know this better that evening, courtesy of Mr. Morrison, and I can’t quibble about the price of this one bit. A 10 year wine and no doubt.  Find this wine

2005 Qupé Central Coast Syrah, $17, 13.5% alc.: This dark garnet is a 16 vineyard blend (with the biggest component being Bien Nacido) made mostly from Syrah, with a little Grenache and Mourvedre, and it’s so fresh, it’s not even listed on the Qupé website as of this writing. It shows animal and tar over big, rich, earthy black plums and berries, and it’s full bodied and well structured, with good length. I’d be hard pressed to name a better value in Syrah from the US than this, and in that regard, Rick told me he has a lasting memory of asking Bob Lindquist why this is so well priced when he could obviously ask more for it. Bob replied, “Because I’d rather you drink two bottles with dinner than one.” I can go along with that!  Find this wine

2004 Verdad Santa Ynez Valley Tempranillo, $18, 14.5%: From Lindquist's wife Louisa's Spanish varietal project, this ruby dark garnet is comprised of 87% Tempranillo, with the remainder being Grenache and Syrah; it offers earthy red and black berries with a dusting of cocoa powder and a streak of cherry stick that adds complexity and appeal. Its structure seems to be more about acids than tannins and the finish is reasonably long. Aged for 16 months in mostly neutral barrels, with about 10% new barrels and 10% one and two year old barrels.  Find this wine

2004 Qupé Santa Ynez Valley Syrah Purisma Mountain Vineyard, $35, 14.2% alc.: Only four barrels of this deep, dark garnet Syrah were made with fruit sourced from the vineyard owned by the Beckman family; it exudes lovely aromatics of violets and rose petal over black plums and berries, following through on the palate with a note of leather and a dusting of cocoa powder. This is a wine of grace and elegance, being feminine on the nose, and then turning more masculine on the palate, with deceptive structure that belies the harmony it already shows. Lindquist says that this is a wine for the cellar, and he’s right, but I’d have a hard time keeping my hands off it now. Like all of the reds tasted on this occasion, it matched up quite well with Zinc’s fine steak tartare, and later that night provided an interesting twist to the old Red Wings and Red Rhônes theme.  Find this wine

2002 Qupé Santa Maria Valley Syrah Bien Nacido Vineyard Hillside Estate, $45, 13.5% alc.: As previously noted regarding the 2001 version, this dark garnet 100% Syrah is sourced from the original Z Block of Bien Nacido, and on day five of fermentation, some of the juice is drawn off (saignée) into two new Francois Fréres barrels and barrel fermented, then blended back into the final assemblage. It shows earth and leather over lovely black plums and berries in both flavor and aroma, accented with a hint of licorice; it has excellent depth and structure, which bodes well for years of development, but give it some air, and you can love it now too. Rick observes that this is the closest to the Rhône model that Qupé makes, adding that it was inspired by Guigal’s La-La Côte Rôties. Aged 20 months in François Frères French oak barrels, about 60% new; unfined and unfiltered.  Find this wine

If anything, I liked this batch of wines from Qupé even better than that last one two years ago. Bob Lindquist is the consummate professional winemaker, and it shows in everything he touches. While not exactly a “well-kept secret,” Qupé is certainly deserving of greater recognition.

A few weeks before this tasting, we got together with a couple of self-described “wine Philistines,” our good friends Shar Douglas and Ken Hebenstreit, for wine and food, and because they graciously brought along a selection from Qupé, those notes are included here.

2001 Qupé Santa Maria Valley Syrah Bien Nacido Vineyard, $27.99, 13.5% alc.: I tasted this wine two years ago, so I was interested in seeing how it’s coming along, and I’m happy to report that it doesn’t disappoint. Almost the color of India ink, it gives flavors and aromas of leathery plum and blackberry with some subtle smoke and some earth underneath it all. Full bodied and full flavored, with ample structure and excellent varietal character, it’s not terribly complex, but it is quite nice all the same. Find this wine

2003 Duchamp Sonoma Syrah Dry Creek Valley Cuvée Trouvée, $37.99, 14.9% alc.: As with the preceding wine, this one looks like a glass of ink; on the nose it offers dark plums, berries and cherries, and these impressions echo and expand on the palate with rich fruit, earthy undertones and hints of coffee and chocolate that add attractive accents. Ripe and fruit forward without being over the top, with good structure, concentration and length, this garnered thumbs up all around.
Find this wine

2001 Epiphany Santa Barbara Revelation Red Wine, $39.99, 16.9% alc.: This label is a project of Fess Parker’s son Eli (he is also winemaker at Fess Parker); my notes read “almost ink, with some stink on the nose.” The barnyard blows off with some air to reveal tarry black fruit accented with sweet spice and anchored with a solid earthy base. One taster found the alcohol overwhelming, and it does indeed serve up some heat; a little over the top for my tastes, which may explain why Bob Parker gave it a rating of 93. I might feel a little more kindly towards it if it cost about $10-15 less. Find this wine

Reporting from Day-twah,

Bastardo 

Other Recent Wine Explorations

Following Up With Fisher, Ladera and Schweiger

QPR All Stars: MAN Vintners & Marqués de Cáceres

12 From the Perrin Family

Harvest Images from Berthet-Rayne

Wicked Couch & Spit

Not Just Flotsam and Jetsam

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© George Heritier November, 2006