Price: $30.00
Club Price: $27.00
Cases Produced: 383
Magnums Produced: 48
Release Date: summer 2009
Alc. 14.4% by Vol.
Blend
95% Syrah, 5% Grenache
Growing Season
The 2008 growing season started with one of the coolest springs on record. Bud break was late all over the state. As spring transitioned into summer our temperatures remained mild. Fortunately we had a nice long Indian summer allowing for longer hang time, developing complexity and fully mature grapes.
Vineyards
We source our Syrah grapes from Les Collines Vineyard in the Walla Walla Valley AVA. Les Collines, French for “the hills”, sits nestled against the foothills of the Blue Mountains. The winters are cold and the summers hot and drenched with sun making this a location ideal for producing quality fruit with striking aromas and complex flavors. The Syrah grapes sourced from this vineyard are exceptional. The fruit, once vinified, expresses characteristics of ripe wild berries and smoked game, with a mouth-feel that is velvety and soft.
The five percent Grenache that made its way into our Les Collines Syrah hails from Lonesome Spring Ranch between Benton City and Prosser. This exceptional vineyard produces limited quantities of high quality, ripe fruit with balanced acidity.
Vinification
Our 2007 Syrah was fermented in multiple lots. Some lots were whole berry fermented, while others had stems added back in to the fermentation to increase the tannin structure in the wine. Post fermentation the wines underwent extended skin contact to soften tannins and promote mouth feel. This wine was aged for 16 months in oak barrels before bottling.
Barrel composition
75% Neutral French Oak, 12.5% New French Oak, 12.5% New American Oak.
Tasting Notes
The first whiff of this wine reveals aromas of coco butter and bacon fat transforming into dried cherries finishing with a salt brine. On the palate there is tantalizing acidity evolving into a rich round mouth feel that finishes with milk chocolate.