Vineyard Notes

This block was particularly grateful for the long and cool growing season of 2021. There were no significant heat waves during the low rain year, which allowed for beautiful, concentrated flavor development. To capture the best characters of the fruit, we made several harvest passes to ensure we picked each cluster at its peak.

Production Notes

All the fruit was harvested in the cool of early morning, and very gently whole cluster pressed. The pale salmon colored juice was naturally cold settled then racked to French oak barrels. After a few days fermentation began without the addition of commercial yeast. The finished wine matured in oak for several months until it was ready for blending and bottling in the spring of 2022. 

CASES: 331

Vineyard Notes

Slow and steady, then all at once was the theme for 2021. Bud break started late after a cool and dry winter and spring. Most of the growing season saw relatively mild temperatures, with very few days over 100 degrees. The vineyard had an opportunity to ripen slowly with the lack of heat waves. On average the fruit was harvested more than a week later than in 2020. Higher yields were welcomed as fruit quality was top notch.

Production Notes

Harvested early in the morning, the beautiful and abundant fruit was loaded whole cluster into two tanks and blanketed with CO₂. They were left sealed for 22 days. The fruit underwent carbonic maceration, an intercellular reaction that starts converting sugars under low oxygen conditions and produces distinct bright berry aromas. The fruit was pressed and alcoholic fermentation finished in tank. The wine was then aged in neutral oak until blending and bottling without fining or filtration. 

CASES: 192

Vineyard Notes

Our Block 4 Syrah is interplanted with 5% Malvasia Bianca, which is harvested with the Syrah every year. 2019 was our 3rd harvest from this beautiful, balanced, own-rooted Alban and Estrella clone planted in Positas fine sandy soil. The slower ripening vintage resulted in the fruit being harvested weeks later than the previous years. 

Production Notes

The Syrah and Malvasia were hand harvested over two days, allowing for different levels of ripeness. We experimented with whole cluster and destemmed fermentations, keeping them separate to form their own personalities. After one month on the skins, each lot was pressed and aged in 10% new French oak. After 20 months in barrel, the unique lots were blended together for bottling in the summer of 2021.

CASES: 201