Verna's Vineyard is a new vineyard owned by the Melville Winery and located on Cat Canyon road in Los Alamos (Santa Barbara County). Jaffurs has four different Syrah clones growing at the vineyard. The vineyard includes a very steep hillside with very low yields that enable us to foot-stomp whole clusters during fermentation.
The 2005 Verna’s Vineyard Syrah is intensely flavored, warm, dark, chewy, chocolaty, fruitful wine – a big hit in the tasting room. This is our second wine off the Melville’s Rhone varietal ranch in Cat Canyon near Los Alamos. This remains powerful, mineral-cherry-raspberry/briary flavored stuff. A blend of Estrella, Clone 1, 877 and 174 clones grapes yields balance and complexity. Made using five new French and seven older French and American barrels. (160 cases produced)
• This is our first wine off the Melville’s Rhone varietal ranch in Cat Canyon near Los Alamos. It is a cool, windy site, within view of the more intense fog layers of Santa Maria. It is an ideal growing site and meticulously farmed by Brett Melville.
• The steep hillside vineyard block is planted to Clone 1 Shiraz and Estrella clone 1 syrah. This block yields very little fruit. Conversely, this block yields the most intense fruit from the vineyard.
• The flatter vineyard block is planted to Clone 877 and Clone 174 syrah. This fruit produces at higher yields, but surprisingly, produces intense wine. We always marvel at how hard the berries from this block are at harvest – they actually bounce!
• First picking from the hillside harvested October 11th (Clone 1 25.5 brix and 3.5 pH, Estrella Clone 24.4 brix, 3.3 pH)
• Second and third picking harvested between Nov 4th and 7th (Clone 174, 24.2 brix, 3.3 pH) (Clone 877, 26.2 brix, 3.55 pH).
• The fruit was stemmed but not crushed. Intact, whole berries were placed in small bin boxes for 14 days of fermentation after a two-day cold soak.
• Inoculated with William-Selyem, D254, and RC 212 yeasts.
• This wine represents twelve choice barrels selected out of a total lot of thirty-three.
• Of this, five were new French barrels and the rest were older barrels, both French and American.
• Went through ML fermentation, completing in January.
• Racked in July, and again before bottling.
• Unfined and unfiltered
• 16 months barrel age.
• An incredibly powerful wine, big and bold. Will benefit from aging.
• Bottled in April 2007.
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.