Bergström 2017 Gargantua Syrah Oregon 750ml

Bergström Wines made its name on Willamette Valley Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, but Gargantua is winemaker Josh Bergström’s passion project. He created the label in 2013 to make “the Rhône Ranger wine I wanted to make”: a West Coast Syrah that belongs “in the same conversation as the wines from France’s Northern Rhône Valley.” To honor the purity of the fruit, Gargantua is made with whole-cluster fermentation and neutral oak aging, which lets the vineyards speak with “precision and finesse.” As Josh puts it: “When Syrah is done right it is one of the best wines in the world.”

The 2017 Oregon bottling is built around Symbion Vineyard in the Eola-Amity Hills AVA, owned and operated by Steve and Irene Doerner, which Bergström calls “the cornerstone of our Oregon Gargantua Syrah,” with fruit from Folin Vineyard in southern Oregon. The vintage began with a cool winter and spring followed by perfect summer heat, and Bergström reported that the Syrah smelled “very meaty and savory.” The result, as one merchant puts it, has “natural restraint,” and Oregon’s volcanic soils produce something quite different from California Syrah: “a much more focused, elegant, lower alcohol bottling that has great structure and bones.” Production was very small.

Josh describes “very classic Syrah perfume with peppery red/black fruits, garrigue, and dried herbs.” James Suckling’s note describes “aromas of stewed black cherries, grilled herbs, porcini mushrooms, paprika and herbs,” “medium-bodied with firm, chewy tannins,” and a wine that is “tannic and caressing at the same time.” For house-style context, a recent Gargantua vintage was described as having “classic Syrah aromas of pepper, tarragon, forest floor, matsutake mushroom, rosemary and thyme garrigue, cured meats, tar, tobacco, leather, and sanguine iron.” It’s a savory, peppery, herbal Syrah, and a good match for lamb, beef, venison, and cured meats, with several years of bottle age already behind it.

Origins & Craftsmanship

Bergström 2017 Gargantua Syrah Oregon is produced by Bergström Wines, with winemaker Josh Bergström, from Oregon vineyards including Symbion Vineyard in the Eola-Amity Hills AVA and Folin Vineyard in southern Oregon. It is 100% Syrah, fermented with whole clusters and aged in neutral French oak. Very small production. 750ml.

Critics Reviews

James Suckling — 94 Points (July 2021):
“Aromas of stewed black cherries, grilled herbs, porcini mushrooms, paprika and herbs. It’s medium-bodied with firm, chewy tannins. Tannic and caressing at the same time.”

Josh Bergström, Winemaker:
“Very classic Syrah perfume with peppery red/black fruits, garrigue, and dried herbs. When I created the Gargantua label in 2013, this is really the Rhône ranger wine I wanted to make.”

Bergström Wines (house-style note, recent vintage):
“Dark, black cherry in color with classic Syrah aromas of pepper, tarragon, forest floor, matsutake mushroom, rosemary and thyme garrigue, cured meats, tar, tobacco, leather, and sanguine iron.”

Tasting Profile

Nose
Peppery red and black fruit, stewed black cherry, garrigue, dried herbs, grilled herbs, porcini, and paprika.

Palate
Medium-bodied, savory, and focused, with firm, chewy tannin, black cherry, and herbal and meaty notes.

Finish
Long and structured, with tannin that is “caressing” yet firm.

Quick Overview

Food Pairings

• Lamb
• Beef and venison
• Charcuterie and cured meats
• Mushroom dishes

Serving Note

Decant for an hour to open the aromatics; serve at about 62-65°F.