The 2003 Santa Barbara County Syrah combines Thompson Vineyard, Larner Vineyard, Melville Vineyard, and Bien Nacido Vineyard fruit. As usual, this blend is more than the sum of its parts. It is powerful, dark, tar-y stuff., with a sweet, full finish. It shows cherry, mineral, spice flavors. It shares the identical farming and winemaking techniques as our vineyard designated wines to produce a wine of great complexity and lower price. (1048 cases produced)
•This wine includes fruit from the Thompson (48%), Bien Nacido (10%), Larner (14%), and Melville (28%) vineyards.
•Bien Nacido Vineyard harvested on October 17 at 25.0 brix, 3.1 pH.
•Melville Vineyard Syrah harvested between October 25 (Clone 1, 24.6 brix, 3.24 pH, and Estrella Clone, 25 brix, 3.3 pH) and 30th (Tablas Creek Clone, 24.4 brix, 3.45 pH).
•Larner Syrah harvested September 29 (Clone 174, 24.4 brix, 3.7 pH) and October 20 (Clone 383, 24.5 brix, 3.8 pH).
•Thompson Vineyard Syrah harvested October 16 and 20th at 25.4 brix, 3.5 pH.
•No Viognier was added to this wine. It is 100% Syrah.
•The fruit was stemmed but not crushed. Intact, whole berries were placed in small bin boxes for fermentation.
•RC212, D254, and D-80 yeast used.
•Fermented on the skins for 14 days as individual lots in small bin boxes. Cold soaked for 48 hours before primary fermentation was initiated,
•Went through ML fermentation, completing in January.
•Slightly less than half the barrels used for aging were new, and the rest were older. Roughly half of the barrels were made of American oak. The rest were French oak.
•Wine was racked in April, and again before bottling.
•Unfined, but lightly filtered..
•Bottled in August 2004.
Food Pairing: This is a highly flavored wine which works well with similarly flavorful food. Try dark sauces, even some with dark fruit. Makes a great reduction sauce. Try spiced or BBQ pork, lamb, or beef. Slow roasted short-ribs in syrah reduction cannot be beat. Seared, spiced Ahi is a favorite, as is smoked salmon.