2006 Columbia Valley Syrah

{Columbia Valley}

Vineyard Notes

Unlike our 2005 Columbia Valley Syrah, which was made from blending three different vineyards, our 2006 Syrah is made entirely from the Minick Vineyard.  Minick is located north of Prosser off of Gap Road in the Yakima Valley AVA, and is a much cooler vineyard site than we have in Walla Walla, and most other parts of the Columbia Valley.  It’s the only Syrah site we work with outside of Walla Walla, which is by design given the unique qualities and consistency of the estate. The cool, slow-ripening nature of this vineyard plays right into our stylistic focus on making elegant and balanced wines in a more traditional fashion.

We don’t worry about excessive heat and over-ripening in this vineyard. Instead, its cooler and slow-ripening nature gives us consistent balance and expression year-after-year. The elevation changes throughout the vineyard cause the Syrah blocks to ripen unevenly, so we have to manage blocks independently and intuitively. In 2006, we picked our Syrah in two passes on October 29th and 30th. The ripeness and balance in the 2006 fruit was impeccable, and the timing even more so, as the vineyard got its first frost on Halloween, just one day after picking.

Winemaking Notes

We purposefully make our Syrah with very limited new oak, and this wine is a great example of why. Syrah simply doesn’t integrate as well as the Bordeaux varietals with new oak, and expresses itself far better when it’s not over-ripe, over-extracted or over-oaked. This 100% Syrah was aged for 13 months in neutral French oak barrels, meaning the used barrels did not impart any flavors or tannins into the wine. The wine has a dark iodine color, and Minick Syrah produces a consistent orange-peel essence in the aromatics. This is a hallmark from this vineyard, much like the consistent smoke and bacon from our Forgotten Hills Vineyard.  Past the orange peel are hints of forest brambles and the earthiness and gaminess found in great Syrah.

There is a natural creaminess to this wine, which we get from the vineyard and not from new oak (since we don’t use any with this wine). Through the mid-palate comes a powerful punch of dark berries and again the Syrah earthiness and gaminess. The finish is long and creamy, coating the entire mouth.  This is the ultimate wine for food pairing!  It’s balanced, with round, refined tannins, plenty of acidity, a very long finish and alcohol in check with the structure.

• Wine Profile (pdf)