Winemaker Notes
With its dynamic fruit character and smooth entry, the 2019 County Line Syrah is playfully inviting. Expressive notes of Santa Rosa plum, mature raspberry, and fresh blueberry delight at the forefront, followed closely by a hint of cacao. The bright fruit gives way to earthier, herbal notes of leather and pennyroyal, along with a touch of allspice. With an elegant mouthfeel, balanced acidity, and polished tannins, this is truly a wine for all seasons.
Try pairing the 2019 Syrah with roasted pork tenderloin or grilled Portobello
mushrooms for a glimpse of its range and a memorable meal.
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.”
A vast appellation covering Sonoma County’s Pacific coastline, the Sonoma Coast AVA runs all the way from the Mendocino County border, south to the San Pablo Bay. The region can actually be divided into two sections—the actual coastal vineyards, marked by marine soils, cool temperatures and saline ocean breezes—and the warmer, drier vineyards further inland, which are still heavily influenced by the Pacific but not quite with same intensity.
Contained within the appellation are the much smaller Fort Ross-Seaview and Petaluma Gap AVAs.
The Sonoma Coast is highly regarded for elegant Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, and, increasingly, cool-climate Syrah. The wines have high acidity, moderate alcohol, firm tannin, and balanced ripeness.