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In 1991, we offered our first Syrah (at that time a rare variety here). Then in 1999 our own Syrah vineyards around the winery in Yountville produced their first crop, and that fruit has gone into our Napa Valley bottling ever since. Working with two other nearby Syrah vineyards, one planted by Michael Havens, the other managed by him, plus the Hudson “Block M,” our 2003 Napa Valley Syrah continues that tradition.
In 2003, after a warm growing season, our reliable fall heat burst pushed harvest quickly upon us. Interestingly, it did not push our Syrah harvest forward of what we usually expect. But the heat did mean careful selection of all grapes in the field – selecting out any raisined or shriveled fruit to keep the wine’s freshness and vibrancy. In Syrah this is especially critical, as raisined grapes bring a coarse, rustic texture to the wine; thus 2003 called for careful cluster thinning in the field just before harvest.
In the cellar, we make sure the young wine has a chance to breathe, which helps build the tannic structure, and then polish it to a pleasing roundness. Oak is used as a tool to develop the wine, never merely as a flavoring agent; you taste the wine, with its complexity of fruit, earth and spice, but never the barrel separately.
The relative warmth of 2003 is evident in this Syrah’s rich, meaty character. But its cooler terroir shows in the mocha-coffee hints and the bright, peppery spring to its finish on the palate (not unlike the 2002). What you also will taste here is a wine that is balanced between its fleshy elements (round fruit, creaminess) and its structure (tannins and acids). You will think “Rhone Syrah” (if you know it), and you will not think “oak,” because that element is fully integrated into the wine. And if you are enjoying it, appropriately enough, with a meal, you will notice how the wine keeps calling you back to refresh your palate for the next bite.
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