Taz Vineyards

Pour

Taz Pinot Noir, Fiddlestix Vineyard, 2005
Taz Syrah, Goat Rock Vineyard, 2005

WHILE THE NAME may suggest a wine from the southern Australian state, Taz Vineyards could not be more Californian. Nevertheless, the label does have Tasmanian inspiration. When Beringer Blass——the parent company of Beringer Vineyards, Napa Valley’s iconic winery——decided to produce wine in Santa Barbara County, they commissioned Beringer’s viticulturist, Bob Steinhauer, to oversee the planting of the vineyards.

Steinhauer holds a special place in the Napa Valley, being one of a handful of vineyard managers whose names, like those of top winemakers, attract cult followings. Yet the veteran viticulturist is known for more than his purple thumb: His blustering style, frenetic intensity and quick temper (which, it should be added, gives way just as quickly to good humor) prompted his colleagues to nickname him “Taz,” after Warner Brothers’ cartoon character, the Tasmanian Devil. The brass at Beringer appropriated this moniker, in Steinhauer’s honor.

This corporate fiat is fitting for several reasons, not the least of which is Steinhauer’s meticulous cultivation of the three Taz vineyards in the Santa Maria and Santa Ynez valleys: Cat Canyon, North Canyon and Fiddlestix. But more important to the consumer, perhaps, is winemaker Natasha Boffman’s ability to coax, out of each harvest, wines as colorful, intense, energetic and vibrant as “Taz” himself. The 2005 Goat Rock Vineyard Syrah ($28), a deep, inky indigo in color, in particular exhibits a wild character: The nose is powerfully ripe with an appealing gaminess (hints of dried meat and Camembert) over dark berry fruit. The texture is silky in contrast to the somewhat feral nose, while the palate offers a devilish array of flavors: plum, soy, cinnamon, corn silk and strong black tea on the finish.

The 2005 Fiddlestix Vineyard Pinot Noir ($35) is not only Taz’ flagship wine but is also one of the Santa Rita Hills’ most interesting Pinots. The region lies at the western edge of the Santa Ynez Valley, where cool air from the Pacific maintains lower summer temperatures than are found farther inland. As a result, the grapes benefit from gradual ripening. The result is an intense wine that exudes a rich black cherry perfume on the nose. On the palate, this bold Pinot’s flavors whirl in a dervish of cherry, red grapefruit, roasted coffee, dark chocolate, cigar box and anise.

Taz Vineyards, 888-544-3223; tazvineyards.com.

---

Brett Anderson is senior vice president, editorial, for CurtCo Publishing.

Do you like what you read? Subscribe to San Diego Magazine »