2005 Syrah, Cuvée Donnis

Imbued with inky tones — a signature of a perfect Syrah — this beautiful wine is an opulent celebration of the 2005 vintage. The bouquet explodes with dark cherry fruit, which gives way to a slight hint of white pepper on the palate. An exquisite expression of a sultry, yet spicy blend — just like its namesake! This wine combines fruit from our Estate with premium grapes from the San Lucas Vineyard in Southern Monterey County. Our Estate grapes are the Syrah Noir clone, known for its deep purple color and intense, spicy flavor. The San Lucas grapes, which are a mix of several French clones, add complimentary characteristics that provide balance. The Rhone varietal taste is very pronounced in this Syrah — just as we like it! Smooth and silky, it’s the ultimate expression of what we strive to achieve in our Syrah.

The grapes were harvested the first week of October and field crushed within 30 minutes of picking. The must was fermented in ¾-ton lots for 21 days, using indigenous yeast. Temperatures were carefully held below 30˚ Celsius and fermenters were hand-punched five times a day to maximize flavor and color extraction. The wine was pressed into 60% new French oak barrels from Vosges and other oak barrels from the center of France (Remond and Taransaud). Malolactic fermentation was completed in April, 2006. The wine was further aged in oak before bottling in November, 2007. It was released in March, 2008.

360 Cases

Varietal Composition: 100% Syrah