Surf Bums

Wine Details for 2023 Surf Bums, Red Wine, Paso Robles

Variety: 56% Petit Sirah, 39% Syrah, 5% Cabernet Sauvignon.

Vintage: 2023

Wine Style: Dry red

Bottle Format: 750 ml

Winemaker: Bertus van Zyl

Production Details

Fermentation Vessel: Oak

Fermentation Details: De-stemmed

Oak Program: New French

Malolactic Fermentation: No

Technical Information

Alcohol Content: 14.7

Tasting Notes

Appearance: Dark red

Aromatics: Blackberry compote, blueberry preserve, and black licorice. Nuanced layers of mocha, roasted coffee beans, and cracked black pepper emerge as the wine breathes, providing a savory, spice-driven complexity.

Palate and Structure: Full-bodied and hedonistic with a lush, velvety texture. Deep flavors of dark plum and cocoa nibs are framed by the "grippy clench" of Petite Sirah tannins. It finishes with a long, chewy persistence, balanced by notes of charred oak and a persistent dark-fruit sweetness.

Serving Suggestions

Ageing Potential: 2038

Serving Temperature: Room Temperature

Food Pairings: Smoked BBQ ribs, a thick Tomahawk steak, or dark chocolate desserts to complement the mocha and black fruit notes.

Brand Positioning: Sun's out, bums out. We're hitting the shores of the Central Coast and cracking open this bold, but cheeky, red wine to get you through summer. When it comes to Petite Sirah and Syrah, Paso Robles is a fucking powerhouse. Intense daytime summer heat helps the grapes develop sugar, phenolic ripeness, and density, leading to lush black fruit flavors and spice. At night, temps can drop as much as 50°F, helping the grapes retain acidity and freshness. So when it comes to these two stars, we get all power and no flab. Oh, and we added some cab to class it up.

Story: Picked in the late summer of 2023, we de-stemmed each lot, then sent them off to be pressed. As tannins can be grippy, we used a combination of new and used French oak barrels for aging.