Kathryn Kenndy, Santa Cruz Mountains, Maridon Vineyard, Reserve, Syrah 2002 This was a delicious wine and I can’t tell you why for the notes are in a journal that I’ve misplaced. Yet I feel compelled to share the story – sometimes the deliciousness of a wine stands out strongly in memory even when the reasons why have left your grasp.
We opened this bottle late last year after finding it rattling around in the cellar. I had forgotten the occasion when this wine was given to me but finding it brought back great memories.
While working in Draeger’s wine department on the Peninsula, Linda and I had the opportunity to visit with Marty Mathis at the family’s winery. At that time, it was a small bucolic oasis in the middle of ever-encroaching development on the edge of Silicon Valley.
We tasted his wines and talked about Lateral, at that time a new project beyond the varietal Cabernet Sauvignon that we knew. Since then he has created other wines as well, such as this Syrah. I also remember climbing down a steep staircase into the bomb shelter which has doubled as a wine cellar over the years. The fond memories associated with wine are certainly more than of the liquid in the bottle.
Bottled in Saratoga 14.3% a gift from a friend. The current release ’05 is on offer at the winery for $65 and production is limited.
