2014 Syrah

While our 2013 Syrah was a powerhouse of ripeness and tannins, our 2014 offering possesses more complex, nuanced fruit and spice notes, and also showcases the rich, mouth-coating midpalate that is one of the most beguiling attributes of this variety. The final cuvée is a blend of syrah wines from three parcels on our property planted to clones 470, Noir and Alban #1. Each of these three lots was co-fermented with between 4 and 5% viognier then aged in neutral French cooperage for 14 months on significant lees with only two rackings before bottling. This gentle treatment, with minimal exposure to oxygen, encouraged the development of the meaty, spicy secondary flavors that give syrah its distinctive character. The nose presents heady aromas of exotic fruit, blackberry, blueberry, white pepper, violets, bacon fat and mountain herbs. In the mouth, this wine explodes with ripe, full-bodied fruit and pleases with its silky roundness, weightiness and flavor persistence.

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Appellation: Sonoma County
Vintage: 2014
Harvest: October 2014
Fermentation: Stainless Steel
Cooperage: 100% Neutral Oak
Blend: 95.25% Syrah
4.75% Viognier
Alcohol: 14.8%
Bottling: February 2016
Production: 1145 cases
Release Date: April 2016
Release Price: $60.00

Reviews

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  • Connoisseurs' Guide to California Wine: August 2017 - Rating: 91

    A solid, specific and very serious Syrah of fine concentration and depth, this mouthfilling effort is as unstinting in fruit as it is in ripeness and spice, and its variety's gamy aspects are given full rein. It is big, but it is also fairly supple and its ample tannins are always tied to fruit, and, for all of its considerable size and solidity, it exhibits a sense of crafting that sets it apart from the crowd. It gets fairly astringent at the eleventh hour, but its clear demand for aging comes by way of depth and certain potential for real complexity rather than for the simple easing of tannin. Set it aside for four or five years and know that it will be in fine shape a full decade from now.

    Reviewed: July 2017