Tried this last night at dinner:
1. Qupe BienNacidoCuvee SantaMariaVlly (67% Chard/33% Viognier; 13.5%; Dedicated to HankKievit/godfather of Qupe 2/16/21-6/16/07; www.Qupe.com) 2011: Med.light gold color; rather toasty/buttery/nutmeg/oak quite fragrant melony/apple/Chard slight floral/Viog/carnations/spicy attractive nose; somewhat tart some buttery/toasty/oak ripe/melony/honeydew/Chard slight floral fairly rich/lush slight tangy/lemony flavor; very long rich/ripe/lush melony/honeydew/Chard/lemony light floral/Viog some toasty/buttery/oak light tangy/lemony finish; resembles a lot a lighter/more aromatic QupeChard w/ lowered oak level w/ a slight floral lift from the Viog; a very attractive/pretty Chard-Lite at a very good price. $20.00
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A wee BloodyPulpit:
1. I have, of course, followed BobLindquist's Qupe from the very start; the '83 CentralCoast Syrah from EstrellaRiverVnyd Syrah grapes. It was one of the 4 truly great Calif Syrahs produced that yr.
The distributor of Qupe in NM does a pretty miserable job w/ the Qupe wines. They're still selling the '09 CentralCoast Syrah here. This is the first new Qupe I've seen on the shelves here in NM in almost two yrs; so thought I'd try it...even though I knew it would be good. Alas, the NM distributor never brings in the higher-end Qupe's it seems.
Even though Bob was exiled to Parker's woodshed some 3-4 yrs ago (where he happened to join SteveEdmunds) for making medicore/unthrilling/uninspired wines that lack the gobs of hedonistic fruit that Parker admires; I think Bob's wines have just continued to get better and better as his Sawyer-Lindquist vnyd across from JohnAlban as come online. His BienNacido Hillside Syrah and Roussanne are two genuinely profound Calif Rhones; as good as any made. And they age amazingly well. They just lack that "gobs of hedonistic fruit" factor that many like in Calif wines.
Tom