2005 Syrah "North Coast" from California

Fermentation

12 days in 1 ton open top fermentors; 2 punch downs a day

Cooperage

Aged 13 months in 67% 1 year old French oak and 33% new American oak, Trust Hungarian Oak, Francois Ferres, Nadalie & Radoux Appalachian

The Vineyards

In 2005 we sourced Syrah grapes from two separate vineyard sites, one in the Dry Creek Valley of Sonoma County, and one in the Coombsville area of Napa Valley. In the Dry Creek Valley the fruit was grown on gently rolling hillsides in deep alluvial soil. The soil is rich and fertile as it surrounds the Dry Creek. There are complex soil deposits here from the years and years of deposits when the river would flood and leave sediment behind. The vines grown in this soil have a tendency to be very vigorous and will grow almost unchecked if allowed to while producing less fruit. The trellising system has to be optimized here to deal with these specific growing conditions. The weather here can be warm to hot during the growing season, with periods of thick marine layers that push in from the coast and cool things down dramatically. The fruit can ripen quickly so the marine layer is essential to slowing down the ripening process here. It also allows the grapes to retain some natural acidity which is essential for high quality red wine production. The Coombsville area is on the south-east side of the Napa Valley close to Carneros. The vineyards begin in the valley floor and work their way of the adjacent mountainside. The days can be average to warm and the afternoons can cool off quickly and become very breezy from the San Francisco Bay influence. As the evening progresses the marine layer will work its way up the valley with Coombsville being one of the first places to be blanketed with cool, wet fog. Our vineyard site is situated at 700 feet of elevation on rocky and gravelly soil which is relatively shallow and of poor nutrient value. This naturally controls the vigor of the vines and keeps the fruit level produced by the vines naturally lower than other more fertile areas. The cool growing conditions and low vigor soil really slow down the ripening process of the fruit as the vines struggle to accumulate sugar in the grapes. This also concentrates flavors and creates layers of complexity.

The Growing Season

In 2005 we experienced a longer , cooler growing season, with bud break on the vines starting late. Then, we saw warm, even keeled weather in May enabling for a good fruit set. The summer months turned mild and cooler, with the month of August having a lot of foggy weather which helped to increase the cluster and berry size of the fruit. After that, crop thinning was necessary, yet most crop sizes were still higher than are typically observed. The cooler weather prevailed until mid-October when an Indian summer kicked in providing hot afternoon conditions to help ripen the fruit. Finally, the grapes were fully ripened thanks to dry weather from mid-October into early November. The wine has a deep, rich garnet color and black cherry fruit intensity due to this cooler weather.