Winemaker Notes
There’s a reason we’ve made wine from the Hayne Vineyards longer than any others. Black plum, black cherry, graphite, cocoa, freshly turned earth, petrichor, ink, and gravel dust. Deep and intense yet extremely well-balanced and approachable.
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Inky purple-black, the 2018 Petite Syrah Hayne Vineyard opens with cassis and baked blue fruits accented by olive, cured meats, aniseed, dried herbs and floral notes. The palate is full-bodied but restrained, with a ripe, grainy frame and nuanced fruits, and it finishes long with a bright pop of juiciness. Give it another couple years in bottle.
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.