Medium purple color; blueberry, dark cherry, blackberry, raspberry, blackcurrant, coffee, black pepper, meat on the nose and palate.
Dry; firm tannins; fresh, balancing acidity. Medium body; impressively elegant mouthfeel. Pepper, peppercorn notes from mid-palate through medium-long finish. Good focus on bright, tightly-centered fruit. Classic syrah meatiness and somewhat reserved alcohol augurs well for food pairing.
Syrah is a late-ripening grape, and the makers kept their fingers crossed in 2021 as this matured and potential weather loomed. They held steady and were rewarded with a superb Willamette Valley syrah that has the complexity and blackberry and black pepper notes of a cooler-climate syrah. 14.2% ABV
Vidon was the winery’s original name, but in 2002 they changed the name to Compris to “reflect their mission and values, striving to create a more sustainable, inclusive and equitable community through wine.” The winery is best known for syrah and tempranillo. Now venturing into pinot noir and chardonnay. They released their first wine under the Compris label in 2021, a rosé of tempranillo. With bottle age, they released this later, their first syrah under the new label.
Vicki and Don Hagge established Vidon Vineyard in 1999 (note the portmanteau of their names). From the beginning they emphasized minimal intervention in the winery and respect for the vineyard soil. Dru and Erin Allen purchased the winery in 2020 and appointed Tiquette Bramlett as president in 2021, the first Black woman to oversee a winery in the United States. Bramlett also is the founder of Our Legacy Harvested, a nonprofit that supports diversity in winemaking. Bramlett moved to Chosen Family Wines in 2023, but she was president of Compris when this wine was made.
The website notes: “Compris believes in empowering the community to challenge industry traditions and foster positive change. Both the vineyard and winery are certified under the LIVE (Low Input Viticulture and Enology) program and Salmon Safe, and every step in the process is done gently, mostly by hand.”
Compris Vineyard Midnight Journey Syrah, Chehalem Mountains AVA 2021: Savory, smooth delight scores all the points you look for in a syrah. Elegant. Delicious dark fruits framed by firm but accommodating tannins and acidity. Another example of the purity and precision possible from Chehalem Mountains AVA in the Willamette Valley, and from this quality maker. Pair with grilled, roasted meats—beef, lamb, pork, veal. Syrah’s meatiness makes it ideal with almost all meats; grilled lamb chops, roasted leg of lamb, well-marbled beef like ribeye or New York strip especially nice. Barbecue—pulled pork, slow-cooked brisket. Hearty stews and braised meats. Charcuterie board with smoked meats, bacon, prosciutto, chorizo, truffle pâté, olives. Cheese—hard cheeses; parmesan, asiago; smoked gouda; manchego, pecorino; gorgonzola, stilton for intriguing contrasts. Can be paired with dark chocolate for dessert adventure. $50