Unti Vineyards

Had the great opportunity to taste through a flight of Unti wines poured by Mick Unti himself. Wines were all red (including the recently released '07 Syrah and '07 Benchland Syrah) with the exception of a tank sample of the 2010 Rose of Grenache. All of the wines were solid with the standouts being the '07 zinfandel and the '07 syrah. Although the Benchland syrah is the more premium of the two syrahs, I actually preferred the regular syrah a little bit more. The '07 Benchland had a softer mouthfeel to me but too much oak for my tastes. What struck me most about all of the Unti wines is that the style is very much Old World, with many of the reds having more savory components and some of them, even bretty. None of these were overextracted fruit bombs as California zinfandel and syrah typically tend to be. I was hoping the grenache would make me a believer in California grenache but it didn't. Although some good examples of California grenache exist, most grenache in California is not grown in optimal terroir and the wines suffer because of it. Based on other notes of the '07 grenache, perhaps this was a bad bottle? Will definitely check out Unti on my next trip up the Dry Creek Valley.

• 2010 Unti Vineyards Rosé - USA, California, Sonoma County, Dry Creek Valley
  Tank sample. Pretty faint salmon color with an orange hue. Gorgeous nose of lemon peel, grapefruit, and chalk. Huge disconnect between the nose and palate. Tons of citrus fruits, chalky minerality, very sharp acidity, a bit disjointed. Nose was promising amazing things but this didn't really deliver. Definitely seems like it would need to be paired with food. (87 pts.)
• 2008 Unti Vineyards Petit Frère - USA, California, Sonoma County, Dry Creek Valley
  On the nose, a nice smokiness, meaty, and a hint of rusty nail. On the palate, black cherry, smoke, nice acidity, good soft tannins, soft mouthfeel, medium length finish. Nice Cote du Rhone style. (88 pts.)
• 2007 Unti Vineyards Grenache - USA, California, Sonoma County, Dry Creek Valley
  Very restrained but almost to the point of not showing anything at all. Meaty nose with some black pepper and a bit of heat showing, but a bit challenged aromatically. On the palate, harsh, sharp acid that stands out like a sore thumb, disjointed, one-dimensional. (87 pts.)
• 2007 Unti Vineyards Zinfandel - USA, California, Sonoma County, Dry Creek Valley
  Finally, a winery that treats zinfandel with a little respect. Not an overextracted fruit bomb. On the nose, plums, black cherries, a bit savory. On the palate, a little hint of sweetness, plums, nice chewy tannins, nicely balanced acidity. Great effort. (89 pts.)
• 2007 Unti Vineyards Syrah - USA, California, Sonoma County, Dry Creek Valley
  On the nose, a little brett, black cherries, black pepper. On the palate, black cherries, black pepper, chewy tannins, well-integrated oak, great finish, very vibrant fruit. Really good. (89 pts.)
• 2007 Unti Vineyards Syrah Benchland - USA, California, Sonoma County, Dry Creek Valley
  On the nose, smoke, meat, dark berries. On the palate, dark berries, really smooth, a bit too much oak for my taste, mediocre finish. Actually preferred the regular syrah to this Benchland. (88 pts.)