92 Pts Jeb Dunnuck - The Rhone Report

"The 2008 Qupé Syrah Sawyer Lindquist Vineyard is a meaty, gamy wine with northern Rhone like aromas of black and red berry fruits, smoked meats, new leather, black pepper, and touches of green olives. Medium bodied on the palate, with a beautifully focused, light texture, sweet fruit, and a classy finish, this should drink well for a decade or longer. I followed this bottle for multiple days and it was as good on day three as it was on day one. Impressive!" 92 points - Jeb Dunnuck - Rhone Report

"Inky purple. Very ripe, pungent nose is at once decadent and lively, offering notes of candied dark berries, smoky minerals, black pepper, and olive. Lush and fine-grained, with ripe blackcurrant and olive tapenade flavors that are complemented by a note of black pepper. This rich wine finishes with velvety tannins and a lingering floral note. Plenty powerful but there's a graceful quality to this as well." 91 points - Josh Raynolds - International Wine Cellar

"This is the first vintage from 26 acres of syrah Bob Lindquist planted in 2005, farmed biodynamically. The wine is a barrel selection, layering blueberry and plum flavors into red scents of strawberry and rhubarb as it expands with air. There's spice to the supple texture, the flavor of a spice rub as it gently caramelizes into a roast - the wine providing a clear parallel to the foods it would best accompany." 91 points Wine & Spirits

VINEYARD:
"The Sawyer Lindquist Vineyard is located on Orcutt Road in the Edna Valley AVA in San Luis Obispo. About forty acres are under cultivation on an 80-acre ranch. The vines were planted in 2005 on rolling hillsides. The vineyard is an upper region I on the UC Davis Heat Summation Scale which translates into a long, cool growing season. During the summer the marine layer rolls in during the evening and burns off in the late morning. Average daytime high temperatures in the summer are in the mid 70's, lows are in the low 50's. It is this cool climate and long growing season that produces grapes with naturally high acidity and a broad spectrum of flavors."

"The soils at the Sawyer Lindquist vineyard are composed of gravelly clay loam with mudstone and the pH is low. The vineyard is hilly with some steep hillsides. All the grapes are hand picked during harvest." -Winery

WINERY:
"Qupé (pronounced kyoo-pay') is the Chumash Indian word for California poppy. The Chumash are native to California's Central Coast and Channel Islands, the California poppy is our state flower. Bob Lindquist added the accent to the word Qupé and gave it the pronunciation."

"Robert Neil 'Bob' Lindquist was born in the Midwest and moved to Southern California with his family in 1964 when Bob was 11 years old. In the early '70's while Bob was in college at UC Irvine he got his first taste of good wine and he was instantly hooked. Bob started hanging out at Hi-Time Cellars, a great wine shop in Bob's hometown of Costa Mesa, asking a lot of questions and buying whatever wines he could afford…and in 1975 Bob moved from SoCal with his young family to the North Central Coast to pursue a career in the wine business."

"In 1982, while still working at Zaca Mesa, Bob started Qupé by buying barrels and grapes and traded his time to use Zaca Mesa's facility. As the winery's production grew, Bob decided to focus on syrah and other varietals of the Rhone, while continuing to make chardonnay, which always helped pay the bills. In 2002 Bob and Louisa purchased an 80 acre ranch in the Edna Valley near San Luis Obispo, and the following year they moved to SLO with their then 2 year old son Theo. In 2005 they planted 40 acres at what is now called the Sawyer Lindquist Vineyard, where they are starting the next chapter of their life." -Winery