Helioterra, Syrah, 2009, Columbia Valley

I tasted a glass of this wine at the lovely Enso Winery tasting room that is located dangerously close to my apartment. Helioterra is one of a handful of new urban wineries that have cropped up in Portland in the last year or so. With Portland’s proximity to excellent growing sites in the Columbia and Willamette Valley, it’s a wonder to me that this has taken so long. This Syrah is dark purple to almost black in color. The nose is dominated by bacon fat, oaky vanilla, burgundy dirty sock, and manure. Something about the flavor of this Syrah reminded me of the warm-mulled wine they serve at the Sylvia Beach Hotel in Newport, Oregon. I got heaps of pine resin, pepper, bacon, tar, and sweet cream. This wine brought together a lot of disparate flavors I tend to like in once slightly awkward package. A unique big bold wine for sure but maybe not for every occasion! This Syrah was co-fermented with 5% Viognior and the fruit comes entirely from the Coyote Canyon Vineyard in the Horse Heaven Hills. I really look forward to tasting more from Helioterra.