Talked last time about a tasty Syrah, from Longevity Wines, sourced from a vineyard parcel located a few miles east of our Oakley house, in the unincorporated town of Knightsen, CA.
Knightsen is one of those “land that time forgot” kinda joints: founded in 1898 by a George Knight, who, magnanimously patriarchal, combined his name with that of wife Christina Christensen to establish what was originally Knightsen Station, a stop on the Atchison Topeka and Santa Fe railroad. Today, horses outnumber residents 1,500-to-1,200, and the main drag is one block of Knightsen Avenue comprising a United States Post Office (with wooden cashier wickets), Sonja’s Tavern (open, but listed for sale), and one truly dodgy-looking “deli.”
Longevity’s Phil and Debra Long have been buying Syrah from biz partners Harry Newcomb and Mike Palladino since the Longs’ home-winemaking days (a mere two years ago, before they went professionally bonded as a commercial winery), and it’s Harry and Mike’s venture in Knightsen that Kath and I wanted to check out. Phil gave us an address and phone number; we were on the hunt.
Two Knights Vineyard is a 9-acre plot planted entirely to Syrah. The vineyard property is owned by Harry, and he and Mike share in the business of the vineyard operations: grape sales, etc. Harry tells me that the “Two Knights” label is both a shout-out to their town, but also a reminder that they worked “too” many “nights” on the gig.
The vineyard, itself, is a bit of an anomaly for the Oakley-area “Old Vine” plantings. For starters, Two Knights’ plantings are kindergarteners compared to the century-old stuff elsewhere in the area; Harry planted the Syrah about 10 years ago. As well, the soil, a few miles from the Oakley Sandy Delhi Loam, has a lot of clumpy clay (much like our front yard, our alleged “garden.” The folks at our garden center couldn’t believe that our Oakley property has clay instead of sand. Dude, our frickin’ MINT died. It’s clay.).
In the past, Mike and Harry have sold their yield to Allied Grape Growers, a sort of co-op/Old World negociant-style outfit that acts as a middleman: purchasing a small grower’s output and selling it to playahs like Kendall-Jackson, Gallo or Mondavi. It’s a cool hedge for a small grower with younger vines, but with the Allied contract expiring, and the vines getting a bit more mature, here’s hoping that Harry and Mike find more winemakers like Longevity.
Which leads us to the Longevity Contra Costa County Syrah Rosé, sourced from, though the label doesn’t say, Mike Palladino and Harry Newcomb’s venture: Two Knights Vineyard. This is hardcore juice: deep, deep cranberry color with salmon highlights (nothing “bled off” with this stuff), a nose of Smucker’s strawberry, and big-time Syrah body on a lengthy finish. Kathy and I both remarked that we’ve tasted fully fermented Syrah that’s not as meaty as this Rosé. Young vines and full-throttle winemaking: Who’da thunk?
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