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I have become a huge fan of syrah lately, and that also includes blends with other Rhone grapes (grenache and mourvedre).  While many of these wonderful wines come from France, they make some mighty tasting Rhone-style vino in Central California.  This past March I visited Los Olivos which is the most adorable little town complete with 35-ish tasting rooms and a few great restaurants.  We only had a day to spend there though and that is not enough time to visit even a handful of places.  One winery that was added to the list after a recommendation from Larry Shaffer of Tercero Wines was Qupe (the ‘e’ is supposed to have an accent but that is too advanced for my blogging software).  Anyway, we ran out of time and never made it to Qupe.  I found a bottle of their wine at a local wine shop recently, and suffice it to say, I MUST go back to Los Olivos.

This is a decadent wine; rich, full bodied, dark as ink with a nose that allures and entices.  Toasted dark fruits like blackberry and blueberry were there along with earthy, leathery notes.  This wine is a little spicy too with hints of pepper.  The balance of this wine is just perfect.  I know that this was one of the good ones because as the bottle neared the bottom, my husband and I turned into savages fighting over the last glass.  I ended up offering to do all the chores that my husband was supposed to do that evening in exchange for the last of the wine.  It was worth it.

Qupe makes quite a few wines, including many made using syrah.  I can’t say anything about them because I have only tried this one wine, but rest assured, I will get back to Los Olivos as soon as I can so that I can TRY THEM ALL!  This wine is right up my alley and if you are a fan of Rhone style reds, keep an eye out for the wines from Qupe.

http://www.qupe.com