2014 Stolpman Vineyards Angeli Ballard Canyon 750 ml

Kid Gloves Come Off For No-Holds-Barred Angeli

For years running, WineAccess has been gobbling up Sashi Moorman’s supercharged Syrahs at a record pace. You’d think after sending thousands of cases to members’ doorsteps, Pete Stolpman would step up to the plate and be a sport. But just try mentioning Angeli to him: That’s Sashi’s annual hand-picked blend of their best barrels, a tradition started in 2001 to honor Pete’s mother Marilyn and his family’s Italian heritage. Pete’s engaging, lighthearted disposition turns on a dime. Angeli ­is off-limits.

Every case of Angeli is sold at full pop at the Los Olivos tasting room or to the Stolpman mailing list. With a steady barrage of 93 and 94 points from both Robert Parker and Stephen Tanzer, it’s easy to see why. Moorman has plenty to do in the cellar, but when it’s time to make the Angeli blend, the winemaker who many believe to be the most talented Syrah-maker on the coast goes into hiding.

“It’s best not to bother Sashi when he’s making the Angeli. It’s his ballgame — free reign,” Pete told us. “Sometimes he disappears for a week. Sometimes just a day. Regardless, it’s tough to argue with his batting average.”

In 2002, a year after Pete’s father Tom Stolpman first gave his partner the idea to start the project, Sashi went hunting through the limestone-packed hillsides of Ballard Canyon. He was searching for the vineyard’s exceptional micro section — he found it at the highest elevation of their dry-farmed Block 5 ridgeline, where exposure to sun and maritime breezes makes for tiny, intensely flavored berries. From that year forward, Sashi has selected the best barrels from the micro block to create Angeli. While other wines in their lineup are meant to show restraint, Angeli was conceived from the start as an exercise in no-holds-barred hedonism: a huge, massively concentrated, voluptuous Syrah, bursting at the seams with red and black fruit.

Angeli has seen some superb vintages but none in recent memory rival 2014 in opulence. Mother Nature cooperated magnificently to put Angeli richness into hyperspeed. Deep and dark, packed with raspberry liqueur, the concentration is unworldly, the texture velour-like.

Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate came in with a bombastic review, slinging adjectives left and right, declaring this “killer Syrah” to be a “full-bodied, elegant, gorgeously polished beauty.” Scoring a resounding 94 points, this bottle was “up with the finest vintages of this cuvee.”

That kind of language is probably music to your ears. But not us. We cringe each time another rave review like that lands, as approximately another third of our already meager allocation vanishes. This year was no exception. No amount of pleading, begging, or cajoling would change Pete’s mind. You’re lucky to get what we’re giving you, we were sternly told once again.

The 2014 Stolpman Angeli is a powerhouse. Deep purple/black to the edge with explosive aromas of black raspberry, violets, and dark plum. Deeply concentrated and almost elixir-like on the attack, packed with black- and red-fruit preserves, braced by vibrant Northern Rhône backbone. Drink now for its primary-fruit hedonism or lay down for 6-9 years in a cool cellar.

94pts from Parker. 94pts from Wine Enthusiast, before the review hits the web. Another 94pts from CGCW. Just 720 hard-fought bottles are up for grabs. $68 at the winery. A very quiet $59.99 today — for a select few.

WineAccess Experience: All buyers of four bottles or more will receive a personal invitation for four  from Pete Stolpman for an estate vineyard tour and a private tasting of current releases and library wines, along with select local cheeses and charcuterie — valued at $165. Invitations will be mailed from Santa Barbara 2-3 weeks after purchase.