The love of my life loves and rescues animals. So much so that I am painfully aware of my place in my wife’s pecking order of living beings on our property. On a good day, I might crack the top 5. 

One such animal is a 120-pound Pit Bull/Mastiff/Great Dane who sleeps in our bed. Guess how comfortable that is for me? Many nights I wake up to try and rearrange him and attempt to get back to sleep by reading a book.  Wine books work well. 

I’ve recently read two fantastic wine books that detail an experience quite like ours here in Dry Creek Valley:

The Making of a Great Wine by Edward Steinberg
The Grail by Brian Doyle

Both books chronicle the life of one vintage at GAJA, in Barbaresco, and Lange Winery in Oregon’s Willamette Valley. Even though the two wineries are located on different continents, make different varietal wines, have vastly different vineyard sites, and the vintages are 20 years apart, the song remains the same. Both wineries are led by compelling individuals (Angelo Gaja and Jesse Lange) whose sole purpose in life is to make the best wine from their vineyards. You can imagine how this resonates with me, even in my groggy state at 3 a.m.

Common themes? An irrational love of wine that drives one to be inspired by the world’s best wines. Understanding that great wines are made in the vineyard and taking the financial risk to execute that philosophy: plant the best rootstock/clones, farm responsibly, manage crop levels to maximize quality, practice tried and true artisan winemaking that highlights vineyard character, command a constant drive to improve, and communicate a genuine message to your customers. These are but a few of the components common among great wineries anywhere, a credo that has guided us for 25 years. 

2021 was a great vintage for us, across the varietal board. This was particularly true for Grenache, which is why all of our Grenache made it into Cuvée Foudre.
2021’s crop set was naturally lower than normal, meaning we did not thin the vines as severely to achieve our desired balance. A moderate growing season with warm and dry harvest conditions is exactly what we envision for a great vintage. 

We exclusively used our Alban-clone, planted in 1998 for CF in 2021. This vineyard block has consistently produced our most complex Grenache. In 2021, “it went to eleven.” 

I love this vintage because it is quintessential UNTI— meaning it straddles the line between robust Rhône and ethereal Burgundy. Who knew a Grenache blend could be so sophisticated? The '21 CF will improve over the next 3-4 years and last another 5. 
 

Ever since Jason Valenti began making wine here at UNTI, this bottling of our Syrah has shined. The 2021, as you would expect given the quality of the vintage, is his best. 

As always, this 2021 Syrah comes from our "Creekside" block located on the winery property.  This site has well-drained soils (loam with gravel and sand) that promotes well-balanced vine growth. It is also our coolest micro-climate within our 60 acres of vineyards. In 2021, a low crop-set resulted in one of our most concentrated Syrahs ever from this site. Its opaque color, intense black, and blueberry fruit, along with the classic spice and savory elements will remind you of Northern Rhône Syrah. Jason has really dialed in on which French Oak barrels we use to age Syrah, which is important when you age 40% of this wine in new barrels. The oak integrates well with our Syrah to preserve vineyard character while adding complexity.

Like most of our '21 reds, this Syrah has the structure to age at least 8 to 10 years but should begin to show well in a couple of years. A real vin de garde!
 

 250 cases produced
$45 btl
$36 when you purchase any 12 UNTI wines

 

Finally, an UNTI wine where Mourvedre plays a prominent role! The 2021 Petit Frere features our clone 383 Syrah with our creekside Mourvedre. 383 is our most Northern Rhône-like Syrah, featuring floral, spicy aromas. The Mourvedre is quite noticeable, with classic cherry, savory, meaty aromas and flavors. The wine is already showing well, making it perfect for drinking early and often. The Mourvedre will allow this wine to age nicely over the next 2 to 4 years.  Regularly priced at $32, new release pricing at $29.