Suisun Valley Wine

Item Description

Support your local wineries!!! 2nd oldest appellation to Napa. UCDavis says better soil and weather than Napa. That means the wines are good.

Olabisi Wines 2004 Suisun Valley Syrah, King Vineyard, One Magnum. This is a new release from a highly rated Winemaker. 2003 was 91 pts at Wine Spectator.

Olabisi – winemaker and general manager for Piña Cellars (Silverado Trail/Rutherford/CA) Osborne was associate winemaker at Storybook Mountain Vineyard. His own wines are Olabisi. The fruit for his wines comes from a new AVA, Suisun Valley, which Ted says offers the “best price-to-quality ratio for super-premium grapes.” Osborne’s experience includes winemaking for Chateau du Seuil (Bordeaux), Rothschild Vignerons (South Africa), Passing Clouds Winery (Australia). Olabisi means “joy multiplied” in Nigerian.

Olabisi Syrah Suisun Valley, King Vineyard 2004

Tasting notes from winemaker/owner Ted Osborne:

Aromas of smoked herb . . .” with up front ripe, black, leathery fruits, cured olives, roasted peppers, spicy grilled meats, leeks, and smoked chilies. On the palate - a sweet silky core of intense, broad and chewy tannins, blackberries, schnozberries, black licorice, leather, length, penetration, and pleasure. 350 cases made.

From Wine Specatator.

"Without a doubt, one of the greatest pleasures of being a wine critic is being able to direct readers to great wines that are also great values.

One of our recent office favorites is a tiny wine company called Olabisi (Nigerian for “joy multiplied”), which is based in Napa Valley.

But the grapes used by owner-winemaker Ted Osborne come from elsewhere – Syrah from Knights Valley and Syrah and Petite Sirah from Suisun Valley. And they’re awfully good...

Suisun, though, is one of those appellations that few people know of and even fewer know where it is. It’s one of the oldest appellations in California, and it's near Fairfield, in Solano County, east of Napa Valley. It’s more Napa than not, as it is within a few miles of the Napa County line, and for years the grapes have been considered as “Napa” grapes.

They’re obviously pretty good, and Osborne, who is also the winemaker for Piña Cellars in Napa, shows a deft hand for crafting wines of subtlety and finesse.

A year ago, the Olabisi wines had some highwater marks. The 2003 Syrah Suisun Valley King Vineyard ($22, 225 cases) earned a 91-point rating, and two other wines, the 2003 Petite Sirah Suisun King Vineyard (88, $35) and 2003 Syrah Knights Valley Betsy’s Vineyard (85, $22), were very good as well.

I just tried the 2004 versions of these three wines and can only say for now that they’re either as good as or better than the '03s, so this is a winery worth checking out. They are ripe, rich wines that are remarkably elegant and graceful.

Prices are $42 for the Syrah Suisun King Vineyard, $29 each for the Suisun Petite Sirah and Knights Valley Syrah.

I find it especially satisfying recommending producers like Olabisi.

You get a lot of bang for your buck, you’re supporting an upstart and you’re discovering great wines can come from places you’d never expect.

So when you’re drinking wines with friends you can pull out a bottle of Olabisi and tell them the story about this hot new winery and this hot little appellation in Solano County off Interstate 80, nestled in the rolling foothills behind the Fairfield Costco….

James Laube, Wine Specatator

Item Special Note

Must be 21 years of age or older to bid!

The Auction Winner will need to contact Ted Osborne, the owner and winemaker, to pick up the wine. Most likely at PIÑA NAPA VALLEY

Olabisi Wines

PO Box 191
Calistoga, CA 94515
United States

Phone 707-942-4472
Ted@OlabisiWines.com