Winemaker Notes
Three Napa Valley vineyards added to the layers of complexity in this Syrah: Juliana Vineyard in Pope Valley provided deep ripe fruit and inky color, Voss Vineyard in Rutherford provided elegance and silky texture while Clarke Vineyard in the southern-most section of Napa in American Canyon gave cool climate finesse blended with wild strawberry aromas and dense dark chocolate.
The 2003 vintage was a great year for Syrah in Napa Valley. Mild weather punctuated by a few nasty heat spikes was followed by a long fall season, allowing concentration in the grapes. Some shrivel and slight raisining gave a real punch to the flavors and jammy aromas to the crushed fruit.
Undoubtedly proving its merit over and over, Napa Valley is a now a leading force in the world of prestigious red wine regions. Though Cabernet Sauvignon dominates Napa Valley, other red varieties certainly thrive here. Important but often overlooked include Merlot and other Bordeaux varieties well-regarded on their own as well as for their blending capacities. Very old vine Zinfandel represents an important historical stronghold for the region and Pinot noir is produced in the cooler southern parts, close to the San Pablo Bay.
Perfectly situated running north to south, the valley acts as a corridor, pulling cool, moist air up from the San Pablo Bay in the evenings during the hot days of the growing season, which leads to even and slow grape ripening. Furthermore the valley claims over 100 soil variations including layers of volcanic, gravel, sand and silt—a combination excellent for world-class red wine production.