VARIETAL & VINEYARD: Our 2006 Syrah “normale” comes primarily from our original 6-acre benchland vineyard, which has been the mainstay of our Syrah program since 1997. We planted this vineyard in 1991 (when there wasn’t much Syrah here in Dry Creek) using budwood we obtained from the Durell vineyard in Sonoma. Since 2004, we have farmed this vineyard following the natural cycles emphasizing the relationship between plants and soils, without the use of pesticides or herbicides.
VINTAGE: A wet spring led to a moderately cool growing season in 2006. These conditions pushed back harvest about a week later than normal. We harvested our Syrah between September 26th and September 30th. The cool growing season really enhanced pepper and olive aromas, characteristics we appreciate in Northern Rhone Syrah.
WINEMAKING: 20% of our Syrah was fed into small tanks as whole clusters. We’ve begun using this traditional winemaking technique because stems enhance aromas and tannin structure. The remaining grapes were de-stemmed and lightly crushed. Our standard winemaking includes a 5-day cold soak of the must before fermentation begins with indigenous yeast. We use a variety of small open-top and closed-top stainless steel and wooden tanks. The wine was aggressively aerated during fermentation: punch-downs and pump-overs were done twice daily. Our 2006 Syrah was aged in only French Oak, 30% new, for 13 months. It was bottled unfined and unfiltered.
STYLE/DESCRIPTION: This medium to full-bodied wine will have you thinking of our 2003 and 2004 Syrah. The wine really shows the pedigree of our Benchland site, featuring a complex set of blackberry and grilled meat aromas and flavors. It combines the earthy savory flavors of Northern Rhone Syrah in a lush, Dry Creek wine. Our ‘06 Syrah is already drinking nicely and should continue to do so for 3 to 5 years.
Mick
Harvested: 9/26 through 9/30/06 Blend: 100% Syrah
Total acidity: 0.61g/100ml Alcohol: 14.8%
pH: 3.85 Bottled: 12/6/07
Oak aging: 13 months; French barrels, 30% new Cases Produced: 690