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Our Syrah from Alisos Vineyard might be described as “steady as a rock” each year. Loren Colahan, vineyard manager at Alisos Vineyard, produces consistently superior grapes each year and with our consistent handling of them the wine turns out, well, consistently great!

The grapes were harvest on October 14th at a ripe 26.3 Brix sugar level. The grapes were 100% destemmed, crushed into several small open top fermentors, and then pressed off two weeks later. Aging took place in all French oak barrels of which just 20% were new. The wine was bottled in April 2007.

The wine exhibits the typical dark color of Alisos Syrah. It has beautiful forward aromas of black cherries with a hint of molasses in the background. On the palate the wine is medium to full bodied with round flavors of berries and spices. There is a hint of black pepper in the finish which is the vineyard characteristic I have come to prize in this wine. This 2005 version of Alisos Syrah is a bit more approachable at release than previous vintages; however, it has some youthful dusty tannins in the mid palate which will soften with at least a year or two of bottle aging.

The power of this wine, coupled with its flavor profile, makes it a perfect accompaniment to lamb and flavorful beef dishes.

Rick Longoria, Winemaker
March 2008

Composition: 100% Syrah – Alisos Vineyard
Production: 198 cases
Alcohol by volume: 15.5%
pH: 3.53
Titratable acidity: 0.68 g/100ml
Cellaring potential: Five to seven years
Bottle price: $38

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