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The growing
season of 2005 brought forth a beautiful Syrah. Early springtime
in the vineyard, the vines enjoyed plenty of rainfall. This
kept the soils warmer than normal and gave the Syrah vines
a head start toward bud break. The spring was quite mild and
conditions were ideal for bloom and berry set. The ample moisture
in the soil gave the vine the ability to produce a larger
berry than during normal years. This brings out the freshest
of all vintage expressions of this varietal. Syrah usually
ripens first of the dark red wine varieties, so when it reaches
the optimum maturity, there is always time to let it hang
out to develop even more flavor. So after an additional five
days of “hang time” we picked our fruit in the
early morning and prepared the winery. After a cool pick,
we let the crushed must soak for two days prior to yeast inoculation.
Fermentation lasted for seven days and generated beautiful
aromatics that filled the air. We pressed off the fermentation
to barrel for malolactic fermentation.
What 14 months
of barrel ageing helped do was soften the coarse tannins bringing
the fresh fruit forward. The firm tannins are complexed with
long lush fruitiness making a wine of substantial size. Aromas
of raspberry and violet bounce around the palate until the
depth of mouth feel brings flavors to finish. This wine is
elegant, yet brave and is sure to bring daring foods to pair
with the flavors of Syrah. Enjoy.
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