Winemaker Notes
The first-ever Monterey Syrah for Jade Mountain, the Alta Loma Vineyard is located in Salinas Valley just south of the Arroyo Seco. The soil is clay with shaley loam. In the morning, the sun warms the vines, and in the afternoon the breezes from the mountains and the valley moderate the heat. The vines are vertically trellised and spur pruned. This vintage exhibited the deep color, fruit and elegant style we expect from such a unique site.
The 2003 vintage in Monterey County saw an early, warm spring with heat spikes during bloom. June was very cool, but the heat spiked again in August. The balance of the season saw rising temperatures through to the end of October, ripening the small crop quickly and resulting in superb quality.
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.