This wine is unabashedly juicy and toasty, with soft tannin and mouth-filling fruit. Baking spices, blackberry pie... Yep, it's all there.
Prime drinking: now through 2022.
Food pairing: Seared meats and rich pasta dishes.
Winemaking
Grapes were picked in the darkness of the early morning hours, and immediately subjected to rigorous hand sorting and refinement process. The whole berries were gently delivered to tank. Cold soaks lasted five to seven days, and fermentations were managed via a combination of delestage and pumpovers. Extended maceration ranging from three to four weeks fine-tuned our tannin profiles, allowing us to perfect mouth feel and wine complexity. The wine was aged 30 months in 100% French oak, 25% of which was new.
Analysis
Appellation: Alexander Valley, Sonoma County
Varietals: 100% Syrah
Aging: 30 Months in 100% French Oak, 25% New
pH: 3.73 | TA: 6.4 g/L
Alcohol: 14.5%
92 Points
Aromas of blackberry, dried fig, black cherry, blackberry coulis, toasted vanilla, and a hint of cigar box. The palate offers rich and velvety tannins, dark chocolate-covered cherries, black plum, mixed berry pie and toasted walnut. Long and expressive with loads of flavor.
New Release
A ferociously fun Napa Valley blend with depth, balance and big flavor. Aromas of red currant, fresh strawberries, black plum, vanilla, and notes of cocoa on the nose. The palate is bursting with fruit ranging from cherries, mixed berry compote, toasted hazelnut and more. This wine has great texture that ultimately finishes with round, silky smooth tannins.
91 Points
Layers of strawberry, baked cherry pie, anise, cherry lollipop, wild game, and spicebox. On the palate, black cherry jam couples with crème de cassis, mixed berry crisp, rhubarb, and a touch of vanilla.