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Encouraged by the huge success of our first Port-styled Syrah, which we released in October 2005, we acted quickly to find some late season Syrah to produce another bottling. The grapes for this 2005 Syrah, Vino Dulce came from the Tierra Alta Vineyard located just north of Los Olivos.

Under a new law, we were not able to label this wine as “Port,” so we chose to name it “Vino Dulce” which translates to “Sweet Wine.”

The grapes were harvested on November 9, at a very ripe 28 degrees Brix. We destemmed and crushed the grapes as we would for producing a table wine but at a certain point, when I felt the sugar content was just right, we pressed off the juice. We then fortified it with 180 proof distilled spirits, thus stopping the fermentation at that level of sugar.

The wine was aged in a large 135 gallon French oak puncheon for twenty-one months before being bottled without fining or filtration.

The wine has a dark, dense ruby color. The aroma is reminiscent of chocolate cherries with a hint of the Syrah pepper character. The flavors reinforce the chocolate cherry aromas. The texture is, of course, thick with the residual sugar but balanced with good acidity and alcohol. Enjoy this wine on a cool winter’s night with cheese, nuts and fruit or dark chocolate.

Rick Longoria, Winemaker
November 2007

Composition: 100% Syrah – Tierra Alta Vineyard

Production: 145 cases (375 ml. bottles)
Alcohol by volume: 19.1%
pH: 3.76
Final residual sugar:  10.2%
Titratable acidity: 55 g/100 ml.
Cellaring potential:  Six to nine years
Bottle price:  $22.00

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