McDowell Syrah 2002

Nestled in the Mayacamas Mountains of Southeastern Mendocino County, McDowell Valley Vineyards was established in 1970. Their vineyard has one of the longest records of continuous wine grape production in California. Syrah and Grenache had been planted there for almost a century, when the Buckman family planted Syrah and Grenache wine in the McDowell Valley. Today, of the 330 acres of grapes planted in the 500-acre valley, nearly a third are dedicated to Rhone varietals such as Syrah, Grenache and Viognier. At present, McDowell is a renowned producer of Rhone varietals wines, utilizing the grapes from this original vineyards, which were replanted in 1948 using the same genetic material. Bill Crawford, owner and winemaker, has spent the last 30 years at McDowell Valley working in every phase of the operation.