2007 Russian River Valley Syrah

The 2007 growing season was one to remember in Northern California and will surely turn out as one of the finer vintages ever produced.   Throughout the year the weather was incredibly stable with no hard frosts or extreme heat.   The early season was cooler than normal providing natural crop thinning. The Syrah berries were on the smaller side and clusters remained loose.   This helped keep any bacteria and mold from invading.   We had wonderful daytime heat and cool evening air off the Pacific in our Syrah vineyard. The weather warmed near the end of August only to drop off with threats of moderate rain certainly wreaking havoc with the Pinot Noir growers.   However, the extra hang time has led to a powerfully rich Syrah with mouth-watering tannins.  

Average Harvest Brix:	26.9°
Average Harvest PH:	3.96
Alcohol:	14.9%
Harvest Date	October 3 rd , 2007
Cases Produced:	220
Cooperage:	25% New French Oak-Medium Toast 75% Used French Oak (Chardonnay Barrels)
Vineyard:	Windsor Oaks Vineyards Latitude 38°35’16.20” N, LONGITUDE 122°48’10.24” W
Trellis:	South Facing-Vertical Shoot Position
Yield:	4 tons per acre
Blend:	Single Vineyard/No Blend

Ahhhh, Syrah.   A noble grape entirely misunderstood in Northern California.   Ask us and we'll tell you that Syrah can stand up to any Cabernet.    Recently, it was discovered that Syrah is actually a cross between a black variety, Dureza, and a white variety, Mondeuse.   Both of these varietals are native to the Rhône region of France.   Adhering to our sense of adventure and Syrah's roots in France, we decided to add a little adventure to making our 2007 Syrah.

Our Syrah was grown at the top of Windsor Oaks Vineyards, in Windsor, CA.   There aren't to many other premium locations to grow single vineyard warm climate Syrah.   The mountainous vineyard sits on top of a ridge with rich mineral and volcanic soil.   The wonderful terroir, constant sun exposure, good drainage and excellent vineyard care are what delivers such an incredible wine.

After harvest, we destemmed 75% of the fruit and left the other 25% on the stems.   Not something you will hear about much in Northern California.   This is an homage to Rhône winemaking styles.   This method of stem contact is what gives our Syrah wonderful white pepper notes and spices and fruit character.   The wines were cold-soaked on the skins for 5 days in one ton fermentation bins.   Caps were punched down twice per day.   As with all of our wines, fermentation then occurred naturally with native vineyard yeasts over the course of 14 days.   Native fermentation leads to more complexity and character.  

The fruit was then pressed where 85% of the juice in each barrel was out of the press (press run) and 15% of each barrel was juice that naturally leaked out of the berries during fermentation (Free Run).   Generally, press run juice has higher concentrations of residual sugars, tannins and acids.   The free run juice helps us balance this out.   From there, malolactic fermentation occurred naturally until early spring where one racking took place to rid the barrels of acids and dead yeast cells (lees).   The wine was then bottled unfiltered and unfined.  

Tasting Notes

Our 2007 Syrah features a dense and beautiful dark purple hue.   The nose will awaken you with strong notes of black cherry, cassis, currant and white pepper.   The wine starts with wonderfully rich and integrated tannins.   Mid-pallet is where you will notice the white pepper and game notes balanced by black fruits that scream to be on the dinner table with a grilled rack of lamb.   The wonderful, long lasting finish will delight you as it shows its incredibly silky tannic structure reminiscent of cocoa powder.  

Decant

Although the aging potential for our Syrah is very good, we recommend that you decant for at least one hour before enjoying and drink now through 2012.

View our maps page to see where 'X' marks the vine.