SofH+ 1:3
WINE
The 2018 Levitation Syrah is 100% Syrah from Lewis Vineyard, in the Yakima Valley AVA, and Les Collines Vineyard, in the Walla Walla AVA. Aged for 16 months in a combination of concrete, neutral French oak, and 25% new French oak, the final blend includes about 17% whole cluster, foot-stomped bunches. The resulting wine is exotic and aromatic. Dark red in color, with dramatic aromatics of roasted meats, bacon fat, and damp earth, the wine presents flavors of raspberries, blackberries, black cherries, and more roasted meats. The finish is persistent and lengthy, and this wine should age beautifully for the next 10-15 years.
VINEYARD
Lewis Vineyard is located on the northern slopes of the Yakima Valley. We have a 3 acre block of Syrah that we have been working with since 2007 (and Trey has worked with this vineyard since 2000). It produces a gorgeous, red fruit (think fresh raspberries and cherries) slathered Syrah that is one of the main components of the Levitation Syrah. It is a cooler site, and always retains amazing acidity year in and year out. In its very best years it adds a layer of bacon fat complexity to it's fruit driven style. The vineyard is planted in very deep loam soils, with great drainage for moisture and root establishment. We typically pick this vineyard in mid October.
CHEF
Chef Nicolas Bour has led kitchens across the country like Humphreys in San Diego and Gates Hotel South Beach in Miami, opened acclaimed Iris restaurant in Atlanta, and even competed on Food Network’s “Beat Bobby Flay.” Yet returning to the kitchen he managed more than 10 years ago felt like “a natural thing” for Nic and his family. Chef has shared a recipe (found at the bottom of the blog post) that we all can make at home and enjoy during our Zoom Happy Hour.
ALBUM
No Code is the fourth studio album by the American rock band Pearl Jam, released on August 27, 1996. No Code sold 366,500 copies in its first week of release, topping the Billboard 200. The album is said to be called No Code for some reasons. The most possible, even Vedder once explained that it's also a reference to the medical terminology of Do Not Resuscitate if the album was a failure, is that the album is the code itself.
