2006 SYRAH “ALISOS VINEYARD”

This wine is 100% Syrah from the Alisos Vineyard. Alisos is near the town of Los Alamos and sits on a mostly west facing slope situated between the Santa Ynez and Santa Maria Valleys. The grapes for this wine came from the "older vines" at Alisos; Estrella clone planted in 1991 on its own roots.

2006 was a fairly cool vintage. We harvested these grapes on October 23rd, about a month later than normal, with perfect balance of sugar and acidity. The grapes were destemmed then fermented in small open top fermenters. Three days of cold soak, followed by a 12-day fermentation with twice a day manual punch downs. After pressing, the wine was aerated then put into French oak barrels. It was aged a total of 15 months using 30% new François Frères barrels. A barrel selection of six barrels (144 cases) was made and the wine was bottled without fining or filtration in February 2008.

Of all our single vineyard selection Syrahs, the Alisos is usually the slowest to come around and this 2006 follows suit. It’s similar to the lovely 2005, but a little more tightly wound. Aromas of pepper, rosemary and earth lead to similar flavors. The tannins are significant and the wine should be put down for a few years before consuming. If you keep a cellar, this wine will easily go for a decade beyond.