Cases Produced: 249

Price: $30.00

Club Price: $27.00 

Release Date: May 1, 2008

Magnums produced: 24 bottles (Price for Magnum $66.00)

Alc. 13.9% by Vol.      

Blend

90% Syrah, 5% Grenache, 5% Tempranillo

Growing Season

The 2006 Growing season was fairly typical for Walla Walla with a long hot summer that ran into the late part of September. Grapes reached maturity at lower sugar levels allowing us to keep the alcohol down in our Syrah. As summer progressed into fall, the cool nights allowed the grapes to fully ripen while retaining a balanced acidity.

Vineyards

We source our Syrah and Tempranillo grapes from Les Collines Vineyards in the Walla Walla Valley AVA. Les Collines, French for “the hills” sits nestled up against the foothills of the Blue Mountains. Here, the winters are cold and the summers hot and drenched with sun; 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 for Lonesome Spring Ranch between Benton City and Prosser. This exceptional vineyard produces limited quantities of high quality, ripe fruit with balanced acidity.

Vinification

Our 2006 Syrah was fermented in three separate lots. Some 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 10 months in oak barrels before bottling on Sept 1^st 2007.

Barrel composition

58% Neutral French Oak

17% New Hungarian Oak

25% Neutral Hungarian Oak

Tasting Notes

The first whiff of this wine brings on aromatics of blue berry preserves and black berries, followed by scents of violets, rosemary and sage. The nose finishes with smoked game. On the pallet, balanced acidity gives way to velvety tannins and a smooth finish.