2001 Syrah - Santa Barbara County - Alisos Vineyard - Rex

My first experience with working with the grapes from Alisos vineyard was in 1998 when I bought a few tons of Syrah grapes. Since then I have purchased Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Pinot Grigio, and for one year some Sangiovese as well. This relatively small vineyard is located in the rolling hills southeast of Los Alamos. The soils are predominantly gravely loam of moderate depth and fertility.

The climate is what I describe as being in the mid zone. It is warmer than the west Los Alamos Valley but not as warm as areas around Foxen Canyon Road and the Happy Canyon area. Put all of these elements together and you have an ideal vineyard site for a number of different varietals. The section that I have settled on for securing my Syrah grapes is referred to by vineyard manager Loren Colohan as the “roadside” block, since it lies along the main road into the vineyard. It is a long narrow block with a gradual slope facing south.

In 2001, as I spent time checking on the ripening of the grapes, I noticed that the grapes at the top half of the block were ripening at a faster rate than those at the bottom part of the block. I determined the rows where it seemed to make the transition and asked that we first pick the grapes from the upper part of the block and wait until later to pick the grapes from the remaining lower part. It took six days of extra ripening time for the grapes from the lower part to reach nearly the same sugar concentration as the grapes we had picked from the upper section. The grapes were harvested on October 18, at 25.6 Brix.

The grapes were entirely destemmed and crushed into small open top tanks. The cap was punched down three times daily and the wine was pressed off after 22 days. The wine was aged in French and American oak barrels for nineteen months. The wine was fined, filtered and bottled in May 2003.

This wine is one of the more exotic red wines I have ever made. The overwhelming credit goes to the judicious farming of the vineyard manager and the incredible site at Alisos Vineyard. My contribution was to be patient in harvesting the grapes and to respect the terrior of the wine by not manipulating it.

The wine has a dark opaque color with purple edges. The heady aromas remind me of mince pie, black plums with hints of black pepper. After a few more minutes or airing the aromas start to reveal more of red fruits such as raspberries.

On the palate the wine is rich, full bodied with creamy flavors of syrup and berries. The acidity is amazingly balanced for such a big wine. Serve this wine with pit roasted pig, venison or prime rib. It will also stand up to a fine cigar. This wine will age for a decade or more. Enjoy!

Rick Longoria
Winemaker
Release date: October 1, 2003

Composition: 100% Syrah – Alisos Vineyard

pH: 3.71
Alcohol: 16.0%
Titratible Acidity: .75 g/100 ml.
Production: 150 cases
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