Delicate brass in color, with fruit driven aromatics of grilled pineapple, lemon zest, white peach and orange blossom springing from the glass. On the palate, notes of honey, fresh ginger and tarragon mingle with weightier impressions of sourdough bread, salted caramel and agave nectar. The wine boasts a rich and polished mouthfeel with a generous streak of acidity that anchors a chiseled and precise finish.
This wine is 100% from our Los Alamos estate and is a combination of clones 4, 76, 95, 96 and selections Mount Eden and Hudson. Like our Sta. Rita Hills vineyard, Verna’s Vineyard also endures very windy conditions and is planted on extremely sandy and porous soils. The main difference between the two ranches is that Verna’s has slightly younger vines and the average daily temperatures are 3 to 7 degrees warmer or colder. We think these slight differences impact the resulting wines by making them more tender and approachable, while maintaining bright acidity that is so indicative of our region. Fruit was harvested by hand, whole cluster pressed, cold settled overnight and transferred by gravity to barrel for fermentation in neutral (5 to 20 year old) French oak barrels, and subsequent sur lie aging without any lees disturbance). Yields were 3.4 lbs/vine (3.1 tons per acre).
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With a shiny garnet hue, herbaceous and spicy aromas of fresh mint, juniper, clove and dried oregano dominate initially while dark nuances of cocoa powder, chipotle, smoked apple wood and graham cracker linger in the background. The palate impression is lively with a burst of fresh acidity bringing both elegance and structure to the wine’s savory and intense finish.
Deep magenta in color, warm aromatics of roasted red peppercorn, clove, Chinese five spice and mustard powder emanate from the glass. With time, rich and savory notes of hoisin, dried beef and toasted sesame emerge along with hints of freshly tilled soil, baked orange, cherry blossom and rhubarb. Possessing an assertive and powerful mouthfeel, the wine demonstrates an intriguing depth of complexity balanced equally between spice, earth and fruit components.
Bright red. Assertive aromas of raspberry, cherry and candied rose, with suave Asian spice and mineral accents building with air. Juicy and precise on the palate, offering sappy red fruit preserve flavors and a hint of star anise. Shows impressive energy and clarity on the long finish, featuring a zesty blood orange nuance.
Released: Feb 2017 The fruit for this wine comes exclusively from our Sta. Rita Hills estate and is a combination of two different Syrah clones (Estrella and Clone 99). The Estrella is from Donna’s block which is planted on well drained, nutrient deficient sand. The neutrality of this soil always lends an intoxicating and high toned bouquet of flowers and spice while the Clone 99 from Block I is planted on denser sandy loam soil, bringing depth and richness to the resultant wine. 70% of the fruit was gently de-stemmed with 30% remaining as whole clusters and was fermented in small 1.5 ton open top fermenters. Total skin and stem contact averaged 30 days (7 day cold soak, 2+ weeks fermentation, and 1+ week extended maceration). From the press the wine was transferred directly to neutral barrels (5-20 year old French oak) where it remained sur lie with no sulfur until May when it was gently pressure racked for the first time and prepared for bottling in August. Yields were 2.9 lbs/vine (2.5 tons per acre).