AROMAS & FLAVORS
Our 2018 Syrah is inky in color with delicious aromas of black cherry, and black pepper that evolve into notes of dry cedar and caramelized sugar. The palate is powerful with blueberry, smoked meat and is accented by pomegranate fruit. Structured tannins and acidity linger into notes of dried herbs and black olive on the finish.
VINEYARDS & WINEMAKING
The Syrah comes from beautiful south-facing hillside vineyards that climbs from 500 to 1,000 feet above sea level. The vineyard features 59 individual micro-blocks delineated by terroir, soil type, elevation, grade and exposure to the maritime winds off the Pacific Ocean. Following harvest, the Syrah fruit was cold soaked for a few days to extract color, flavor and tannin prior to fermentation. The wine was aged for 18 months in French oak barrels, 60% of which were new.
VINTAGE
The 2018 vintage kicked off with an extremely unusual heat spike in February that sent the vines into a rapid, early start but was quickly followed by a cold spell. Frost events had longer duration than prior years and the season continued its cold to moderate temperature pattern through May. The first pop of real heat finally arrived mid-June and temperatures remained moderate the rest of the growing season allowing the grapes to gradually ripen. We started picking 3 weeks later than typical but the rich flavor profiles were worth the wait.
