Winemakers Notes: 50% Syrah, 50% Grenache
"California’s third year of mild drought affected yields in all our vineyards; syrah and grenache showed the sharpest reduction. Fortunately, rain fell briefly in March, helping the vines survive a long, warm summer. The grapes ripened slowly, and were harvested from September 25 to October 10. Whole berries fermented on natural yeasts for six days, with daily pump-overs for extraction. When uninoculated malolactic fermentations were complete, we blind-tasted three lots of grenache and four of syrah, assembling those with best fruit expression and balance. After two years in barrel, tannins have begun to soften. Given grenache’s typically austere structure, however, the wine will be most enjoyable with five more years of bottle age" 14.2% abv