Tallulah Wine

If I could throw an oenological viking’s funeral it would be for Tallulah wines. Apparently they have gone out of business. It is one of those sad things, because they had only made a couple of vintages of wine and I assumed I would have time to speak and kibitz with the proprietor, Ben Davis, as we tried to get Syrah to sell together. Alas, he has moved back to Florida and this is never to happen.

There are two wines made by Ben that have strongly influenced Bedrock Wine Co..

First, the Farina Vineyard Sauvignon Blanc from Sonoma Mountain. This is frankly one of the best S.B.’s made in California– I honestly prefer it to the higher profile wines being made from this vineyard by Arietta and Abe Schoener at Scholium Project (though I would happily drink both any day).

Aso, I have long been intrigued by Bald Mountain Vineyard as a site. Located next to Kistler Vineyard, straddling the appellations of Sonoma Valley and Mount Veeder, the vineyard was planted by the greatest of all Sonoma Valley mountain farmers Joe Votek (who also farms Farina, Dinner (think Paul Hobbs), Skinner, Rancho Salina, Thornton, and several others). Planted to Syrah, Chardonnay, and Zinfandel, Joe dry farms these twelve hundred foot high vines. This is a brilliant site for many varietals– though Syrah might be the most adept at gaining a foothold in the poor soils of the site.

The 2004 Bald Mountain Syrah from Tallulah was frankly as good a wine as I would expect from any producer of Syrah in California. If Wells Guthrie of Copain could make mountain fruit Syrah this would be it.

In either case, I am sorry to see Tallulah go, the wines certainly deserved a better reception than they received.