2014 Qupé Syrah, Sawyer Lindquist Vineyard, Edna Valley
92 Points, Wine Enthusiast
“This bottling from Syrah legend Bob Lindquist, sourced from the biodynamic vineyard that he planted, delivers snappy boysenberry, white pepper, rosemary and lavender aromas. The palate judiciously balances savory, peppery spice and lush purple floral notes with tangy black plum fruit and rosehip accents, making for a wondrous sip.” 92 Points, Wine Enthusiast
91 Points, Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate
“The excellent 2014 Syrah Sawyer Lindquist Vineyard - which now bears the black-gold label formerly worn by the Santa Barbara County bottling - offers up an expressive nose of black cherry, blackberry, smoke, soil, tar and grilled meat. On the palate, the wine is medium to full-bodied, velvety and open-knit, with a juicy core of succulent fruit, polished tannins and a flavorful finish.”
The 2014 is a classic, cool climate Syrah, with rich notes of spiced blackberry and a peppery finish. This wine pairs beautifully with robust pulled pork dishes, and is ready to drink upon release, or will age gracefully over the next 8-12 years.
2015 Qupé Syrah, Sawyer Lindquist Vineyard, Edna Valley
This classic Syrah has black cherry, a light touch of oak and vanilla, and roasted meat aromas. The cool climate means the acidity is lip smacking. This is such a well made, adaptable wine, consider it on its own to entertain as a cocktail wine or dress it up with a roast pork loin with spicy apple chutney.
Vintage and Winemaker’s Notes
2014 Qupé Syrah, Sawyer Lindquist Vineyard, Edna Valley
Traditional winemaking techniques included open top fermenters, 40% whole clusters, native yeasts, and manual punch downs. The wine was aged for 22 months in both Ermitage and Francois Freres French oak barrels of which 30% were new oak.
2015 Qupé Syrah, Sawyer Lindquist Vineyard, Edna Valley
The 2015 Qupe Sawyer-Lindquist Syrah is from a vineyard in Edna Valley that is farmed using biodynamic methods. This wine is as natural as can be; the vineyards do not use any pesticides or chemicals and sulfur is used only sparingly at bottling.
Specifications
2014 Qupé Syrah, Sawyer Lindquist Vineyard, Edna Valley
Vintage: 2014
Varietal: Syrah
Appellation: Edna Valley
Alcohol: 13.5%
2015 Qupé Syrah, Sawyer Lindquist Vineyard, Edna Valley
Here at Qupé, our wines focus on quality, character, and balance. We specialize in Rhône-style wines from the Bien Nacido Vineyard in Santa Maria, that is farmed sustainable, the Sawyer Lindquist Vineyard in the Edna Valley, farmed biodynamically, and the Ibarra-Young Vineyard in Los Olivos, farmed organically. Bob Lindquist’s exacting standards and never-resting-on-laurels attitude, allows Qupé to continually be cutting edge and a benchmark other wineries aspire to be.
Qupé (pronounced kyoo-pay’) is the Chumash Indian word for California poppy. The Chumash are native to California’s Central Coast and Channel Islands; the California poppy is our state flower. Bob Lindquist added the accent to the word Qupé and gave it the pronunciation.
Available States
AZ, CA, CO, CT, DC, FL, GA, ID, IL, IN, IA, KS, LA, ME, MD, MA, MI, MN, MO, MT, NE, NV, NJ, NM, NY, NC, ND, OH, OR, PA, RI, SC, SD, TN, TX, VT, VA, WA, WV, WI, WY
I bought 4 mags of the other recent offer. Havent had enough friends over at one time drinking red (damn u martinis)…has anyone else given them a taste?
@bottomlesspit we opened one of the 08s and throught it was great qpr. It still had a good amount of fruit and smooth finish. I was impressed, but since i bought 8 of the mags I’ve got plenty of syrah for a while
How much more are you saving by buying a full case?
(Note: Tax & Shipping not included in savings calculations)
2014/2015 Qupé Syrah 375ml Bottles - $20 = 16.66%
Qupe Sawyer Lindquist Vineyard Syrah 2014 375ml.
I’m not a syrah “fan” and prefer Cabs and Pinot Noir. I love the new world style and the West Coast in particular.
Surprised to see a half bottle! Beautiful bottle and label.
It sat overnight at room temperature, and it opened to a medium-dark plum color. The glass coated nice and slid down slow along the side. Boysenberry on the nose. Sat about 20 minutes before the first sip. a bit astringent, some dark fruit, and a strong mid-palate. I got a definite alcohol heat hit. a nice long slightly tannic finish. Time to make dinner, pan seared pork loin (rubbed with garlic/cumin/black pepper/oregano) with rice and mesclun salad.
Balsamic dressing was not a good pairing. Although more medium bodied than full, the pork loin did not pair well either. I think a grilled steak or beefy stew would work much better. Perhaps Lamb. The astringency mellowed somewhat but it was still there. There’s a fuller mouth feel, and it’s beginning to round out. No pepper and spice or smoke that I detected.
I’ll have more later tonight or tomorrow and see how it opens up.
Day 2 - A bright berry aroma, some of the alcohol has blown off. a bit tart and dry up front on the tongue. Still kind of tight, lighter body than last night. I put it aside as I made tonight’s dinner, Chicken breast in a light cream sauce with mushrooms and spinach, Parmesan and mozzarella cheese, some herbs and spices. a touch of butter and olive oil.
The mid-palate came through with dinner, more red berry-current/dark pit fruit but still a bit puckerish. A long tannic finish. Still none of the pepper I expect from a Syrah. I wonder how it would taste slightly chilled. If there’s any left over, I’ll try it!
So I did have enough to chill , and I must say it was a rounded and very tasty being slightly chilled. The tartness was gone, fruit emerged, tannins calmed. Perhaps a combination of being opened a day and being slightly chilled(not cold, maybe in the 60’s?). I was not going to recommend this wine to drink on its own at this bottle size and age, but with the drop in a few degrees, it was very pleasurable.
Overall, I give it a thumbs up, especially for Syrah lovers. It is more Rhone-like, rather than new world. It was a bit tight when opened, but improved and came together more with air. The potential is there, It needs more age in the 375ml bottle. I think this will age and evolve well for 5-10 years if not longer. I just looked at the price as I’m uploading my rattage, and I think it’s a great deal for the quality. This would easily be doubled or more served at a restaurant. Put them down or serve now slightly chilled! Haha! Just scanned the reviews and it seems I was more critical and not as gushing as the pros! Maybe because of my tastebuds’ preference for Cabs or the 750ml and Magnum bottles developed quicker?
@irenegade Don’t know what room temp was but reds are best in low maybe mid 60’s my humble, so good call on giving it a bit of a cool down from your room temp
With a full-body fruit wrapped woody aroma, the Qupe Syrah 2014 is a dry wine with a good deal of spice and tannin. The spicy taste lingers and does go well with beef. Not my favorite of the reds.
I’m not a red wine drinker, but this I would add to my list of drinkable reds. Hint of sweet over taste that pushed back the overly tart general taste of reds. Definitely had a pleasant light spicy aftertaste that was enjoyable. I chilled my second glass and appreciated that more than the first one. I wasn’t eating anything fancy - just hole in the wall Chinese food (pepper steak) and this paired well. Love the smaller bottle.
Love 375’s and Syrah, this pushed me to actually make a purchase now that it is UPS only shipping, unfortunately I have to ship it 340 miles away , but my friend wanted 12 also and we do get together every couple of months.
Gotta love the internet - on vacation in Costa Rica and buying wine and shipping it to friends place your on vacation with.
Bought a case of these and finally cracked into them last week. No notes but if you haven’t tried these yet I’d say at least try a 2014 to see if you like where it’s at. Definitely farther along the evolution trail than the 2015. The '14 didn’t make it to day two. Saved a tad of the '15 overnight in the fridge and it was still fresh as daisy the next night. Note the 2014 was cork finished, screw cap on the 2015. Pics here showed both with cork.
Qupé Syrah 375ml Bottles
Tasting Notes
2014 Qupé Syrah, Sawyer Lindquist Vineyard, Edna Valley
92 Points, Wine Enthusiast
“This bottling from Syrah legend Bob Lindquist, sourced from the biodynamic vineyard that he planted, delivers snappy boysenberry, white pepper, rosemary and lavender aromas. The palate judiciously balances savory, peppery spice and lush purple floral notes with tangy black plum fruit and rosehip accents, making for a wondrous sip.” 92 Points, Wine Enthusiast
91 Points, Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate
“The excellent 2014 Syrah Sawyer Lindquist Vineyard - which now bears the black-gold label formerly worn by the Santa Barbara County bottling - offers up an expressive nose of black cherry, blackberry, smoke, soil, tar and grilled meat. On the palate, the wine is medium to full-bodied, velvety and open-knit, with a juicy core of succulent fruit, polished tannins and a flavorful finish.”
The 2014 is a classic, cool climate Syrah, with rich notes of spiced blackberry and a peppery finish. This wine pairs beautifully with robust pulled pork dishes, and is ready to drink upon release, or will age gracefully over the next 8-12 years.
2015 Qupé Syrah, Sawyer Lindquist Vineyard, Edna Valley
This classic Syrah has black cherry, a light touch of oak and vanilla, and roasted meat aromas. The cool climate means the acidity is lip smacking. This is such a well made, adaptable wine, consider it on its own to entertain as a cocktail wine or dress it up with a roast pork loin with spicy apple chutney.
Vintage and Winemaker’s Notes
2014 Qupé Syrah, Sawyer Lindquist Vineyard, Edna Valley
Traditional winemaking techniques included open top fermenters, 40% whole clusters, native yeasts, and manual punch downs. The wine was aged for 22 months in both Ermitage and Francois Freres French oak barrels of which 30% were new oak.
2015 Qupé Syrah, Sawyer Lindquist Vineyard, Edna Valley
The 2015 Qupe Sawyer-Lindquist Syrah is from a vineyard in Edna Valley that is farmed using biodynamic methods. This wine is as natural as can be; the vineyards do not use any pesticides or chemicals and sulfur is used only sparingly at bottling.
Specifications
2014 Qupé Syrah, Sawyer Lindquist Vineyard, Edna Valley
2015 Qupé Syrah, Sawyer Lindquist Vineyard, Edna Valley
Included in the Box
12-bottles:
6-bottles:
Price Comparison
$300 for Case (not for sale online)
About The Winery
Winery: Qupé Wines
Location: San Luis Obispo
Here at Qupé, our wines focus on quality, character, and balance. We specialize in Rhône-style wines from the Bien Nacido Vineyard in Santa Maria, that is farmed sustainable, the Sawyer Lindquist Vineyard in the Edna Valley, farmed biodynamically, and the Ibarra-Young Vineyard in Los Olivos, farmed organically. Bob Lindquist’s exacting standards and never-resting-on-laurels attitude, allows Qupé to continually be cutting edge and a benchmark other wineries aspire to be.
Qupé (pronounced kyoo-pay’) is the Chumash Indian word for California poppy. The Chumash are native to California’s Central Coast and Channel Islands; the California poppy is our state flower. Bob Lindquist added the accent to the word Qupé and gave it the pronunciation.
Available States
AZ, CA, CO, CT, DC, FL, GA, ID, IL, IN, IA, KS, LA, ME, MD, MA, MI, MN, MO, MT, NE, NV, NJ, NM, NY, NC, ND, OH, OR, PA, RI, SC, SD, TN, TX, VT, VA, WA, WV, WI, WY
Estimated Delivery
Friday, February 7th - Tuesday, February 11th
Qupé Syrah 375ml Bottles
6 bottles for $59.99 $10/bottle + $1.33/bottle shipping
Case of 12 for $99.99 $8.33/bottle + $1/bottle shipping
2014 Qupé Syrah Sawyer Lindquist Vineyard
2015 Qupé Syrah Sawyer Lindquist Vineyard
First mags, now 375’s.
Makes perfect sense.
I bought 4 mags of the other recent offer. Havent had enough friends over at one time drinking red (damn u martinis)…has anyone else given them a taste?
@bottomlesspit we opened one of the 08s and throught it was great qpr. It still had a good amount of fruit and smooth finish. I was impressed, but since i bought 8 of the mags I’ve got plenty of syrah for a while
@StingingJ wow, 8 mags…i kneel before thee. Appreciate the thoughts
People buy mini-bottles of wine?!
@UncleVinny
Actually, they can help predict how those 750’s and mags may age.
But they really are a single serve package.
Think of the environment.
@UncleVinny
And if you keep them once empty, they make handy-dandy wine storage for when you don’t want to finish a bottle!
Just fill it enough so when you re-cork it, there’s no air at the top. No need to suction air out or use Argon!
@MarkDaSpark @UncleVinny
Needs to be a twist off to really work well.
Think those single serve saké bottles from sushi bars.
@MarkDaSpark @rjquillin @UncleVinny And the Vinitwo del Finito…screwtop 375 ml.
@rjquillin @UncleVinny Come now…I don’t care how many ml are in the vessel…once the cork comes out it becomes a single serve package!
@rjquillin - re predicting aging…never thought of that!
How much more are you saving by buying a full case?
(Note: Tax & Shipping not included in savings calculations)
2014/2015 Qupé Syrah 375ml Bottles - $20 = 16.66%
Any SD/Socal wanna split a case 50-50? I have great love for half bottles.
@radiolysis sure. I like Syrah and my wife doesn’t. So I don’t need to share, the 1/2 bottle is perfect.
@CorTot
/giphy judgmental-unruly-pineapple
/giphy plump-bare-peanut
Don’t worry…I GOT THIS!
Someone convince me I need this. GO!
@jenludwig You need this. BUY !!
Qupe Sawyer Lindquist Vineyard Syrah 2014 375ml.
I’m not a syrah “fan” and prefer Cabs and Pinot Noir. I love the new world style and the West Coast in particular.
Surprised to see a half bottle! Beautiful bottle and label.
It sat overnight at room temperature, and it opened to a medium-dark plum color. The glass coated nice and slid down slow along the side. Boysenberry on the nose. Sat about 20 minutes before the first sip. a bit astringent, some dark fruit, and a strong mid-palate. I got a definite alcohol heat hit. a nice long slightly tannic finish. Time to make dinner, pan seared pork loin (rubbed with garlic/cumin/black pepper/oregano) with rice and mesclun salad.
Balsamic dressing was not a good pairing. Although more medium bodied than full, the pork loin did not pair well either. I think a grilled steak or beefy stew would work much better. Perhaps Lamb. The astringency mellowed somewhat but it was still there. There’s a fuller mouth feel, and it’s beginning to round out. No pepper and spice or smoke that I detected.
I’ll have more later tonight or tomorrow and see how it opens up.
Day 2 - A bright berry aroma, some of the alcohol has blown off. a bit tart and dry up front on the tongue. Still kind of tight, lighter body than last night. I put it aside as I made tonight’s dinner, Chicken breast in a light cream sauce with mushrooms and spinach, Parmesan and mozzarella cheese, some herbs and spices. a touch of butter and olive oil.
The mid-palate came through with dinner, more red berry-current/dark pit fruit but still a bit puckerish. A long tannic finish. Still none of the pepper I expect from a Syrah. I wonder how it would taste slightly chilled. If there’s any left over, I’ll try it!
So I did have enough to chill , and I must say it was a rounded and very tasty being slightly chilled. The tartness was gone, fruit emerged, tannins calmed. Perhaps a combination of being opened a day and being slightly chilled(not cold, maybe in the 60’s?). I was not going to recommend this wine to drink on its own at this bottle size and age, but with the drop in a few degrees, it was very pleasurable.
Overall, I give it a thumbs up, especially for Syrah lovers. It is more Rhone-like, rather than new world. It was a bit tight when opened, but improved and came together more with air. The potential is there, It needs more age in the 375ml bottle. I think this will age and evolve well for 5-10 years if not longer. I just looked at the price as I’m uploading my rattage, and I think it’s a great deal for the quality. This would easily be doubled or more served at a restaurant. Put them down or serve now slightly chilled! Haha! Just scanned the reviews and it seems I was more critical and not as gushing as the pros! Maybe because of my tastebuds’ preference for Cabs or the 750ml and Magnum bottles developed quicker?
@irenegade
Seems to be commonly accepted knowledge that larger bottles age more slowly than smaller bottlings.
Just a random example…
bottle size and aging
Too bad the taster didn’t identify the tasting date.
@irenegade Don’t know what room temp was but reds are best in low maybe mid 60’s my humble, so good call on giving it a bit of a cool down from your room temp
With a full-body fruit wrapped woody aroma, the Qupe Syrah 2014 is a dry wine with a good deal of spice and tannin. The spicy taste lingers and does go well with beef. Not my favorite of the reds.
Sweet, always looking for 375’s.
/giphy memorable-breezy-weaver
/giphy sturdy-phenomenal-tent
We need Loweel and his VDDD commentary.
@aces219 Or Kyle, but he didn’t come over to CM from woot.
@aces219 @klezman
I miss Kyle. Does he ever go to any gatherings?
@aces219 @chipgreen We miss him too. I haven’t seen him in ages.
I’m not a red wine drinker, but this I would add to my list of drinkable reds. Hint of sweet over taste that pushed back the overly tart general taste of reds. Definitely had a pleasant light spicy aftertaste that was enjoyable. I chilled my second glass and appreciated that more than the first one. I wasn’t eating anything fancy - just hole in the wall Chinese food (pepper steak) and this paired well. Love the smaller bottle.
This is a good deal!
In for a case. Possibly more.
/giphy energetic-sexy-copy
Love 375’s and Syrah, this pushed me to actually make a purchase now that it is UPS only shipping, unfortunately I have to ship it 340 miles away , but my friend wanted 12 also and we do get together every couple of months.
Gotta love the internet - on vacation in Costa Rica and buying wine and shipping it to friends place your on vacation with.
Bought a case of these and finally cracked into them last week. No notes but if you haven’t tried these yet I’d say at least try a 2014 to see if you like where it’s at. Definitely farther along the evolution trail than the 2015. The '14 didn’t make it to day two. Saved a tad of the '15 overnight in the fridge and it was still fresh as daisy the next night. Note the 2014 was cork finished, screw cap on the 2015. Pics here showed both with cork.
My wife and I have consumed three of the 2014s and one 2015 so far, and I’m kicking myself for not buying more when it was offered.
I did buy the maximum number of magnums allowed in another Qupé offer around the same time.