PharoahMoans Syrah

Pour

PharoahMoans Syrah 2005

THIS SYRAH with an unlikely name had equally unlikely beginnings. While visiting the British Museum during a family trip to London, restaurateur and vintner John Schwartz and his two children were struck by the hieroglyphics that decorated the objects throughout the Egyptology exhibit.

“We made a bet with ourselves that we would study hieroglyphics and write to each other in them,” Schwartz recalls. Then, watching his son play with a Rubik’s cube on the flight back, Schwartz hit upon an idea for a new type of pyramid-shaped wine case. The two ideas fused into a concept for a new wine that, with a wink, he named PharoahMoans——a pun on the behavioral hormone that governs our responses to the opposite sex.

Already a partner with former Screaming Eagle winemaker Heidi Barrett in the highly sought-after Pomerol-style Napa Valley red wine Amuse Bouche, Schwartz shared his idea with chef Bryan Ogden, son of Bradley Ogden (also a Schwartz partner). An admirer of the Syrahs from the Central Coast region of Paso Robles, Bryan suggested Schwartz produce a wine there. Schwartz agreed, and Bryan introduced him to Stephan Asseo, owner of L’Aventure Vineyards, one of the finest in the area.

Explains Asseo, “At the time, my job was to help them find beautiful fruit in Paso. They wanted to make this a very high-end project, and somewhere along the way, I agreed to put some of my fruit toward this project. This is the first and last exception, because 100 percent of my fruit goes into my own wines.”

The combination of Schwartz’ creative talents, Ogden’s discerning palate and Asseo’s winemaking gifts has resulted in a fascinating and satisfying Syrah that offers the structure and precision of a Châteauneuf du Pape, along with the ripe intensity we identify with California fruit. The 2005 vintage ($570 per six-bottle case; the 2006 vintage is currently on offer) is a treasure trove of dark berries laced with coffee, mocha, licorice, coriander and sweet, smoky bacon.

PharaohMoans, 707-251-9700; pharaohmoanswine.com.

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

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