Description
The duo behind Black Sheep Finds are Peter Hunken and Amy Christine. Peter got his start in winemaking in 2001 at Stolpman Vineyards and was the Assistant Winemaker there until 2006. He is also one of the founding members of Piedrasassi and Holus Bolus wines. During this time he gained experience working with Syrah, Grenache, Sangiovese, Pinot Noir, Cabernet and Roussanne. After meeting Amy spitting wine over the winery drains in Lompoc in 2004, they founded Black Sheep Finds with the arrival of the 2005 vintage. Amy’s foray into the wine world began with a childhood dream to win an Oscar. While she waited for her golden statue, she worked as a sommelier at one of LA’s finest restaurants. This translated into a weekend jaunt to Santa Barbara where she met her future husband and fellow Black Sheep, Peter Hunken. A whirlwind romance involving a terrible, but cheap, apartment in Koreatown, countless hours of Ryan Adams and Damien Rice songs and bottles upon bottles of Muller Catoir Riesling turned serious. On a long hike in Santa Barbara in 2005, the idea of Black Sheep Finds was bantered about and just a few months later the first Syrah grapes for Hocus Pocus were being made into wine. Unlike the Oscar it all happened so fast.
Hocus Pocus Syrah 2012
Black Sheep Finds Tasting Note
The 2012 Holus Bolus Syrah is sourced entirely from a 5 acre Syrah planting at the edge of the Sta. Rita Hills appellation. The vines are planted at a high density of 3,000 vines per acre on a windy hilltop. The coolish, sunny and windy weather at this site give the wine lovely spice and fresh acidity. Grapes are fermented with 25% whole clusters. Aged for 15 months in two and three-year-old 350 liter barrels. 750 cases produced. Here are Robert Parker’s, The Wine Advocate, thoughts about the 2012 Holus Bolus Syrah, giving it a score of 91 points, “a seriously impressive effort, beautiful purity, integrated acidity and a clean, focused finish. It’s a high-class crowd-pleaser…”
Klwines Tasting Note
The 2012 is a blend of Syrah from two vineyards – the cool Watch Hill Vineyard in Los Alamos and warmer, sustainably farmed Harrison-Clarke Vineyard – that was aged for 12 months in one-year-old barrels. It’s juicy and smoky, with cracked pepper and savory herb notes accompanying succulent red and black fruits. We hear it’s their favorite vintage yet..
Wine Tasting Note
The wine that started it all! The Black Sheep Finds wine project started in 2005 as a result of bottling our Syrah under the Hocus Pocus label. 2012 is the eighth vintage of Hocus Pocus. It is again a blend of cool climate Syrah (Watch Hill Vineyard in Los Alamos) and warmer climate Syrah (sustainably farmed Harrison-Clarke Vineyard). I know it is a cliché, but this is my favorite vintage yet!
* Holus Bolus Syrah was chosen as LA Times Wine Of The Week, March 2011.
