Niner Syrah 2012
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2014-
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Niner Wine Estates is a family company dedicated to the concept that truly great wine results from talented people controlling the entire winemaking process from the vineyard to the glass. Founder Richard Niner's attachment to farming started early as he grew up farming a small plot of land with his father in rural West Virginia. Niner then followed a somewhat unusual path from farm to vineyard: after putting himself through college and graduate school, he spent over 30 years investing in small businesses. In 1996, one of these business deals brought him to San Luis Obispo County, where he found a renewed passion for farming and saw a bright future in the local wine industry.
At Niner Wine Estates they only make wine from grapes we grow ourselves. From vineyard to glass our entire team is working together with a singular goal in mind: to provide you with wines that combine within them a true expression of our vineyards and the creativity of our people. They farm three separate estate vineyards: Bootjack Ranch resting on the Eastern side of the Paso AVA, Heart Hill Vineyard settled on the Western side, and Jespersen Vineyard nestled in the Edna Valley AVA to the south. Each vineyard has very different soil profiles and climates resulting in three very unique representations of terroir.
Marked by an unmistakable deep purple hue and savory aromatics, Syrah makes an intense, powerful and often age-worthy red. Native to the Northern Rhône, Syrah achieves its maximum potential in the steep village of Hermitage and plays an important component in the Red Rhône Blends of the south, adding color and structure to Grenache and Mourvèdre. Syrah is the most widely planted grape of Australia and is important in California and Washington. Sommelier Secret—Such a synergy these three create together, the Grenache, Syrah, Mourvedre trio often takes on the shorthand term, “GSM.”
Paso Robles has made a name for itself as a source of supple, powerful, fruit-driven Central Coast wines. But with eleven smaller sub-AVAs, there is actually quite a bit of diversity to be found in this inland portion of California’s Central Coast.
Just east over the Santa Lucia Mountains from the chilly Pacific Ocean, lie the coolest in the region: Adelaida, Templeton Gap and (Paso Robles) Willow Creek Districts, as well as York Mountain AVA and Santa Margarita Ranch. These all experience more ocean fog, wind and precipitation compared to the rest of the Paso sub-appellations. The San Miguel, (Paso Robles) Estrella, (Paso Robles) Geneso, (Paso Robles) Highlands, El Pomar and Creston Districts, along with San Juan Creek, are the hotter, more western appellations of the greater Paso Robles AVA.
This is mostly red wine country, with Cabernet Sauvignon and Zinfandel standing out as the star performers. Other popular varieties include Merlot, Petite Sirah, Petit Verdot, Syrah, Grenache and Rhône blends, both red and white. There is a fairly uniform tendency here towards wines that are unapologetically bold and opulently fruit-driven, albeit with a surprising amount of acidity thanks to the region’s chilly nighttime temperatures.