2018 Club Exclusive Syrah

WINEMAKER’S NOTES

Our lower elevation section 45.3 is warmer than most others on our site and ideally suited for ripening this warmer climate variety. Planted in 2008, our Syrah is always some of the last fruit that we pick, allowing it to ripen and achieve varietal typicity fully. We crafted this wine to show another expression of the varietal. Fruit for this wine was destemmed and then put into clay amphora to ferment and age for a year. The interaction between the clay and the wine was so intriguing to our winemaking team that we decided to craft a new club exclusive wine. Reminiscent of the “Old World,” the aromatics in this wine are dark with ferrous minerality and earth. The palate is soft with broad velour-like tannins that complement opulent flavors of dark fruit compote and herbal spice. This wine will continue to evolve and age beautifully.

VINTAGE OVERVIEW

On average, the 2018 vintage was a warmer and drier growing season. The vintage kicked off with an early bud break. June saw a cool, wet weather period during bloom, which put the vintage back on track for a traditional September harvest. Cluster sizes were smaller and more conducive to producing high-quality wines. The most notable climatic feature to the 2018 vintage, was our pleasantly dry and moderately warm harvest weather that continued into early November. This allowed us to pick based on ripe flavors and near perfect natural acidity