> 2006 Syrah Amador County
2006 Syrah Amador County |
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Winemaker’s Notes The 2006 Amador County Syrah is dark brick red in color. The aroma of this wine is brimming with the smell of mahogany, cassis, vanilla bean and blackberry. Blackberry and other dark fruits dominate the flavors and the wine finishes with a rich tang of vanilla andblack currant. The tannins are firm and chalky giving a rich mouth feel. It has good aging potential and will be at its best in three to five years.
Vintage
The growing season of 2006 was about as average as a California year could possibly be. Normal levels of rainfall, not too hot or too cold, the usual hot spell in mid summer and blessedly no rain at harvest. Ripening was somewhat uneven but a little more “hang time” helped to get everything in line prior to picking.
Vineyards
This wine is a blend of two Amador County vineyards. Art and Bonnie Toy farm on the west part of the Shenandoah Valley and their Lyre trellis system works great for Syrah. They produce lots of small bunches with small concentrated berries. The other vineyard is our Veauta Ranch, a state of the art vineyard and planted on rootstock with a Vertical Shoot Positioned (VSP) trellis. This is its third harvest and this vineyard is delivering some of the best fruit in Amador County.
Fermentation and Aging
The fruit was harvested in September of 2006 and after a moderately, warm fermentation the must was pressed and racked to French and American oak barrels. We have found that Syrah needs more time in the barrel than does Zinfandel. This wine was aged for 20 months, and that seems to really bring out the Syrah character. The wine came out of barrels and was then bottled in August of 2007. |
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Detailed Wine Information |
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