Io Ryan Road Vineyard Syrah 2006
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Ryan Road Vineyard is located in the appellation of Paso Robles in northern San Luis Obispo County.
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Wine Enthusiast
Io has a really good track record with this Syrah, which is grown in Paso Robles. The ’06 is intricately structured, a dry wine with complex flavors of blackberries, currants, dates, mocha, leather, grilled meat, pepper and vanilla. Hard to resist drinking it now, but it should evolve in interesting ways over the next six years.
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Connoisseurs' Guide
Our clear pick of the current offerings, this very solid Syrah leads with dense, highly ripened aromas of blackberries, pepper and rich oak and follows up with like-minded flavors that are as ripe as they are rich in fruit. Although a bit of heat peeks through at the end, acidity and tannin combine to firm up the finish and work to effectively check any drift to the softness that so often comes with such very ripe wines.
Fruit for Io is sourced from two outstanding Santa Barbara County vineyards-the Byron Vineyard in Santa Maria Valley and the Stolpman Vineyard in Santa Ynez Valley. The temperate, marine-influenced climate and lean soils of both appellations are vitally important to the development of fully ripe, world-class quality fruit. Santa Barbara County enjoys an exceptionally long growing season due in part to its southern latitude that prompts an early budbreak. Cool temperatures further extend the maturation cycle and result in a long hang time for the grapes-critical to achieving wines of great character and concentration.
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.”
The largest and perhaps most varied of California’s wine-growing regions, the Central Coast produces a good majority of the state's wine. This vast California wine district stretches from San Francisco all the way to Santa Barbara along the coast, and reaches inland nearly all the way to the Central Valley.
Encompassing an extremely diverse array of climates, soil types and wine styles, it contains many smaller sub-AVAs, including San Francisco Bay, Monterey, the Santa Cruz Mountains, Paso Robles, Edna Valley, Santa Ynez Valley and Santa Maria Valley.
While the Central Coast California wine region could probably support almost any major grape varietiy, it is famous for a few Central Coast reds and whites. Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon and Zinfandel are among the major ones. The Central Coast is home to many of the state's small, artisanal wineries crafting unique, high-quality wines, as well as larger producers also making exceptional wines.