Qupé Syrah, Central Coast, Santa Barbara County 2022/23

Bob Lindquist, Santa Barbara County 

Qupé mean Poppy flower in Red Indian.

Qupé is a legendary California Rhône pioneer – from its founding with cool-climate Syrah and Chardonnay, through decades of acclaim, to its recent return to local stewardship under Andrew Murray.

Andrew has been making wine in Santa Barbara County for over three decades and recently acquired Qupé to strengthen his Rhône inspired wines. All of Andrew's wines draw fruit from the breezy cool climate East-West valleys that run along California's Central coast. His philosophy emphasises that great wines are grown in the vineyard. His wines honour careful site selection and are produced with minimal intervention. The original founder, Bob Lindquist, was awarded a Lifetime Achievement Award in 2015 and the Californian poppy logo of the winery is now world renowned.

Best fruit comes from and leverage their long-term relationships to have their vineyard partners farm specific sites to their very strict requirements – low yield, clean, unblemished fruit, all certified sustainable. Their aim is to have the wine to speak of its cool-climate origins, while showcasing the diversity of the Central Coast. 50% of the wine comes from 30+ year old vines growing in the sandy, limestone-rich slopes of Arroyo Grande. The remaining 50% is grown in the sandy, gravelly soils of the Santa Ynez Valley, where we find slightly warmer days and even colder nights. The final blend yields a quintessential Central Coast Syrah.

This is a cool-climate Syrah with Rhône soul and California precision. Bright cherry, blackberry, white pepper, purple flowers, liquorice, tar, and smokey meats. Though rich and concentrated, the palate is smooth, and the finish is as long and fresh as the summer evenings that inspire this wine

Grape: Syrah

Biodynamic