Winemaker Notes
VINEYARDS & HARVEST Grapes were hand harvested in early to mid-October. The fruit came in with wonderful ripeness from the fairly warm growing season. Prior to harvest we made three fruit drops to limit yields to 2.5 tons per acre, in order to ensure optimal ripeness.
WINEMAKING
100% estate grapes from Purisima Mountain Vineyard and our estate vineyard in Los Olivos
Made from 70 micro-vinified lots consisting of 5 different clones of syrah, with 2-4 rootstock possibilities, depending on soil composition, to achieve multiple layers of flavor.
Individual vineyard lots were destemed, gently crushed and cold-soaked for 48 hours to extract color and taste-enhancing phenolics
Fermentation took place in open tops for a period of 7-12 days, depending on the lot. The caps were punched down by hand three times daily. After fermentation, the wines were gently pressed and racked to barrel
The wine underwent spontaneous malolactic fermentation in barrel to integrate fruit and oak character
The wine was barrel aged for 16 months in 40% new French oak and 50% one to three year old barrels, and 10% neutral.
French barrel coopers include Francois Freres, Remond, Saury, and Seguin Moureau
The wine was bottled unfined and unfiltered
COMPOSITION 100% Syrah
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.