2018 2018 Syrah
SYRAH is a classic French varietal, stemming from an over 2000 year old cross pollination of two nearly extinct varietals, Dureza and Mondeuse Blanche, from the southeastern corner of the country. Syrah is known for its heartiness, but also delicate and smooth palate. This Syrah is a bold California expression, rich in body and flavor.
Technical
Tasting Notes
We love how this wine truly shows off both the terrior and climate of this gorgeous vineyard. With so much sunshine on these western facing vines, you can practically taste the rays coming through. There is a beautiful floral quality to this wine, followed by a light white pepper spice. On the palate, there is gorgeous bright berry notes and a lengthy lush finish.
Details
Up above the Dry Creek Valley at 1000 feet elevation is the Grist Vineyard. The unique iron rich soil coupled with the western exposure of this terraced Syrah vineyard yields a beautiful wine. When looking at a map, there is nothing in between these grapes on Bradford Mountain and the sea except for 25 miles of of forest. The vineyard was planted in the the 1970s by the Hambrecht Family and farmed organically since the early 2000s. It was a welcome addition to the Raft Wines lineup in 2017 and we’re honored to work with the fruit.
The Grist Vineyard was picked on a beautiful September day. After 12 days fermenting, it was pressed and sent to barrel. There was a little more fruit than the previous year, so we were able to do a little whole cluster experiment, and the finished wine ended up being about 25% whole cluster. The whole cluster adds great complexity and depth to the wine.
On August 14, 2019, the wine went into bottle after a 10 month aging period unfined and unfiltered.