Pinot Noir with Copper River Salmon - Part 3 The French meaning of the word “copain” is “friend” or “buddy” and the winery seeks to extend the name to the philosophy that wine enhances life’s most joyous occasions. The winery location overlooking the bucolic Russian River Valley is open for tasting by appointment. Look for aromas and flavors of plum and cherry with notes of rose petal, orange peel and fresh raspberries.

Mendocino County’s vineyards are not as close to the coast as those in the West Sonoma Coast region, but because they are farther north, they are definitely cool-climate. And Mendocino grows some outstanding pinot noir, including this delicious blend. Copain has a reputation for elegant, balanced pinots and syrahs. I recently tasted the Tous Ensemble blends; others called Les Voisins are more widely available in the Washington area. The winery was recently purchased by Jackson Family Wines and is switching distributors, so availability should improve.

Pinot Noir Masters 2018: Gold

Dark berry fruits that need a full day open to expand. Tightly wound, best in two more years.

Copain Wines celebrates the earthiness and density of Anderson Valley in their wines from the region, as well as their Tous Ensemble from Mendocino County melding fruit from throughout the region. With rose petal, red cherry, and berry notes, and 13.5% alcohol (low for some California wines), this is an easy option for the holiday meal.

Today’s selection was already in its (neutral) barrels when Jackson Family Farms purchased Copain Wines in May 2016 for an undisclosed Print price, but I’ll bet that it wasn’t a pittance, since Copain is a highly regarded boutique winery focusing on single-vineyard pinot noir and chardonnay. Under the “Tous Ensemble” designation, however, winemaker Wells Gutherie produces wines blended from a variety of vineyards in broad AVA applications. The Copain Wines Tous Ensemble Pinot Noir 2015, Anderson Valley, Mendocino County, offers a dark ruby hue that shifts to a transparent magenta rim; aromas of spiced and macerated red and black cherries and currants open to notes of pomegranate and cranberry, with hints of underlying leather and loam and a rooty, briery element, as if the wine were steeped in some essential black tea. These aspects segue seamlessly onto the palate, where the wine delivers lovely shape and heft in its satiny texture and liveliness in its energetic acid structure; mildly dusty tannins lend depth and substance through the bright, graphite-flecked finish.

Mendocino County in a Case Mendocino County is a blend of large and small wine companies, sometimes in the same bottle. This is an example. Copain winemaker Wells Guthrie was making light, elegant Pinot Noirs long before it was cool in California. In 2016 he sold his brand to Jackson Family Wines, which is trying to corner the market on artisanal but scalable West Coast Pinot Noir; it owns four such brands in Oregon, four in Sonoma County, four in Santa Barbara County and three (including this one) in Mendocino. I decided to include this wine to represent the uncertainty of such partnerships. Guthrie made it and it's delightful: well-balanced with nice dried cherry fruit, floral and wild blueberry notes in the aroma, and excellent length. Copain has long been a favorite wine of San Francisco sommeliers, and it's easy to see why, because this wine is delicious on its own and would go well with many foods. But Guthrie left Copain in August. The new winemaker, Ryan Zepaltas, was assistant winemaker to Adam Lee at Siduri (also now owned by Jackson Family) for many years. I always liked Zepaltas' tiny production personal-project Pinot Noirs, so I look forward to tasting the 2018 Copain wines in a few years. Mendocino County always gives you something to look forward to.

At just under 13% alcohol all the aromas come at you like a welcomed kiss. Black cherries bathe in vanilla and a hint of star anise with a little bit of red currant sitting poolside. The acidity and balance here brings a lush, silky smooth feel to the broad palate, that stays with you before you begin to miss it and go for another sip. Now, imagine all those aromas splayed across a forest floor in Fall. That's this wine. Rating - A.

Well-balanced and energetic, with flavors of herbs and sweet-tart red fruits. Best value, 2½ stars.

Glorious! Almost Burgundian in its magical, illusionist combination of power and grace.

12 Wines for Spring From Mendocino County, this Syrah really reflects that cooler climate in which the grapes grew. I loved this wine. It had blueberry fruit, blackberries, boysenberries, and a hint of white pepper. Silky and smooth with medium tannins and very nice acidity, it was perfect for a reverse seared ribeye! Elegant, with a mild gaminess, I wouldn’t recommend it with anything rich or heavily sauced, or it will take away from the freshness of the wine. As the name, “all together”, suggests, Copain’s Tous Ensemble series offers a perfect complement to any gathering, from a casual meal to an impromptu party. Sounds like a good excuse to invite some friends over for a party this weekend!!

Ever wonder what a Syrah from Cali should taste like? With gorgeous well rounded tannins complimenting the bright notes of blackberry and plum in a slight marinade of baking spice mingling with white pepper, this is it. The aromas carry through to the palate which is medium, elegant and broad. It's an incredible wine. Rating - A+.

Wines of the Week: Why You Drink More Savory Wines This Syrah, in fact, is an important example of how California (and Oregon) are increasingly home to Syrahs that leverage the spicy and savory characteristics of the variety as much as they do its ability to be crafted into wines of powerful fruitiness. In just the past few weeks, I’ve found this to be the case with the Copain Les Voisins Syrah 2015 from the Yorkville Highlands of Mendocino (meat, plum, and peppercorn intertwine magnificently)...

Wine Wednesday with Crushed Fine Wine

Syrah Masters 2018: Master Between £20 and £30, we had no fewer than 14 Golds and one Master, showing the potential for Syrah to perform at the entry-point price-wise of the fine wine market. Noteworthy in this band was the excellence of a Syrah from California, hailing from the Yorkville Highlands AVA, based in the southern Mendocino County, and produced by Copain – a winery within the Jackson family portfolio.

A lush syrah, buoyed by bright acidity. It has a mix of red and black fruit — boysenberry and raspberry — with an edgy kick of spice. Smart. Four stars.

Sourced mainly from Mendocino’s High Rock Ranch and Hawks Butte vineyards, this is another beautiful example of a cool climate Mendocino County red. The good-value fuller-bodied syrah has medium tannins, nice acid and a serious sucker punch of taste. You’ll get some jammy red raspberry and herbs on the nose, but that makes way for a burst of black pepper, plum, dark cherry, boysenberry and a bit of that feeling of getting a mouthful of river stones after wiping out on the standup paddleboard face first. But in a good way. Just go with it.

This earthy syrah has plenty going on. It has flavors of black fruit, smoke and spice, with a savory note of anise in the mix. Tasty.

Racy herbal notes amid dark berry fruit. After being open for two days, the wine reveals a fascinating earthy-leafy-ness that works well with grilled meats.

This syrah has lovely red fruit — cherry and a hint of cranberry. It has a great quench of tangy fruit and bright acid — perfect to take on that beefy puck of protein.

60 Second Wine Review — Copain Syrah The Wine High intensity nose–mix of blue and blackberries, violets and lots of pepper spice. On the palate, the spice carries through and brings a smokey element like hickory BBQ. The fruit is still present with medium-plus acidity giving a mouthwatering quality. Ripe medium-plus tannins hold up the medium-plus body fruit and are quite velvety at this point. Long finish introduces some stony mineralty. The Verdict The cool-climate Syrahs I tasted at this year’s Hospice du Rhône rocked my world and this Copain continues the trend. It’s very Northern Rhone-like with mouthwatering savoriness that compliments, rather than gets overwhelmed by, the dark fruit notes. At around $40-45, this is a very character-driven wine that is drinking at its peak.

This Picpoul from Copain in California's Russian River Valley opens with aromas of sweet melons and lemon zest, with a gentler acidity and a salinity reminiscent of green olives.

Wine Wednesday with Crushed Fine Wine

Up in Mendocino where the air is rare Chardonnay shines and this is a great example from one of the best producers in the area. The Pacific Ocean influence is prominent in this bottle with bright creamy lemon curd aromas layered with the scent of alpine, green apple and pear. The acidity is crisp, giving the wine a nice wet-pebble minerality to clean it all up. This wine is definitely worth the price. Rating - A.