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This is our fourth vintage of Syrah from Clover Creek Vineyard which is located just south of Santa Ynez near the banks of the Santa Ynez River. This has proven to be a great location for many of the varietals we work with, including the two clones of Syrah that are planted at this vineyard.

The Estrella clone ripens earlier than the 877 clone, and this year they were harvested on October 11th, and October 23rd, respectively. The grapes were destemmed entirely and crushed into small open top fermentors. Both lots were subjected to a four day cold soak period before being inoculated with yeast. The 877 lot was pressed off after 23 days of skin maceration, while the Estrella lot had a 12 day total skin maceration period. Each lot aged separately in mostly older French oak barrels. The final blending, fining and filtration took place in April, just prior to bottling the wine.

This Syrah has a medium dark ruby color. The aromas are a mixture of spices with an emphasis on pepper, chocolate, raspberries and other red berry fruits. On the palate the wine is medium bodied with juicy, rich flavors of spicy red berries. The tannins are light and the acidity is higher than the typical Syrah. This gives the wine a lively, refreshing quality which will enable it to pair well with a variety of foods. This is a very enjoyable wine now, but will age gracefully for another few years.

Enjoy with barbequed steak, chicken and sausages.

Rick Longoria, Winemaker
June 1, 2009

Composition: 100% Syrah
Vineyards: Clover Creek vineyard – 100%
Production: 78 cases
Alcohol by volume: 14.8%
pH: 3.35
Titratable acidity: .70 g/100 ml.
Cellaring potential: 2-4 years
Bottle price: $28.00

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