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Dutton-Goldfield Cherry Ridge Vineyard Syrah
Russian River Valley, California
Tasting Notes
The cool 2016 season let our Cherry Ridge vineyard fruit hang until it was the last of our vineyards picked. As with all the wines this vintage, there’s a friendly forwardness to our Syrah, which shows in the exuberant bright boysenberry fruit that leads the nose. The characteristic leather and sandalwood savory notes back up the fruit, along with some pretty purple flower aromas of violet and wisteria. In the glass, the density and richness of the wine is apparent, and the mouth delivers that promise, with blackberry pie framed by white pepper and cedar, along with a touch of grilled meat adding a wild element to the flavors. Firm but round tannins carry the juicy fruit and dusky spice to a lengthy finish.
Food Pairings
Grilled meats come to mind first as excellent matches, such as spare ribs, grilled lamb, or Carolina pulled pork. A tangy and creamy cheese brings out the sweet fruit and texture of the wine beautifully. We love a goat Gouda, Bellwether’s Pepato, and a mild Camembert.
Vintage Notes
The cool 2016 season let our Cherry Ridge vineyard fruit hang until it was the last of our vineyards picked.
Winemaking Notes
In the traditional fashion, our Syrah is fermented in small open top fermenters, where punchdowns impart a softness which so compliment the depth inherent in this varietal. The fruit is hand sorted and destemmed, and the must is cold-soaked for 5 days in order to gently extract color, spice and fruit characters, while mitigating harsher tannins. After fermentation, the wine is racked into French oak to age. During its barrel aging, this wine was racked twice: once for initial blending and barrel honing, and a second time to further bring along flavor and tannin development. We always start out with fewer new barrels than it might end up in, both to finesse the amount of new wood, and to season some new barrels with white fermentation before using them in the final Syrah aging. The wine was bottled in August of 2018.
Technical Info
Alcohol: 13.8% Ta: 6.1 g/L pH: 3.61 Barrel Aging: 23 months in French oak (40% new barrels)
Vineyard Notes
Cherry Ridge juts out over the west side of Green Valley just north of the Petaluma Wind Gap. This scenic vineyard enjoys a south facing slope at the top of the ridge, making it a proverbial “warm spot in a cold area”. Cherry Ridge is just temperate enough to ripen Syrah (most years) in a region best known for the cold-loving Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. Just over three acres are planted, split between clones 470, 383 and 877, for the balance of bright fruit, white pepper spice, and plush tannins that we love.
Tasting Notes
The reduced crop in 2015 gave us extremely concentrated, rich wines, which is foretold by the enticing vivid ruby color of the wine in the glass. The initial aromas of cedar, leather and thyme are joined by boysenberry and cherry after time in the glass. White pepper spice plays its familiar supporting role around the edges of the fruit. In the mouth, gorgeous dark plum compote and black cherry pie flavors carry cinnamon and nutmeg notes on plush but assertive tannins. A lively finish of black raspberry and sandalwood cap off the experience.
Food Pairings
Indelibly a food wine, this Syrah demands the attention andis made better only by an accompaniment of creamy goat cheese, grilled pepper-crusted lamb, or sautéed veal chops.
Vintage Notes
The wet spring of 2015 limiting set at all our vineyards. The reds, including our Syrah, were the most heavily impacted, reducing our harvest to about half of a typical year. The tiny crop meant the fruit ripened early, setting a new record for this vineyard which can frequently wait until nearly Halloween to pick: we brought in our Syrah during the last week of harvest, on September 21.
Winemaking Notes
In the traditional fashion, our Syrah is fermented in small open top fermenters, where punchdowns impart a softness which so compliment the depth inherent in this varietal. The fruit is hand sorted and destemmed, and the must is cold-soaked for 5 days in order to gently extract color, spice and fruit characters, while mitigating harsher tannins. After fermentation, the wine is racked into French oak to age. During its barrel aging, this wine was racked twice: once for initial blending and barrel honing, and a second time to further bring along flavor and tannin development. We always start out with fewer new barrels than it might end up in, both to finesse the amount of new wood, and to season some new barrels with white fermentation before using them in the final Syrah aging. The wine was bottled in August of 2017.
Technical Info
Alcohol: 13.8% Ta: 6.1 g/L pH: 3.54 Barrel Aging: 23 months in French oak (40% new barrels)
Vineyard Notes
Cherry Ridge juts out over the west side of Green Valley just north of the Petaluma Wind Gap. This scenic vineyard enjoys a south facing slope at the top of the ridge, making it a proverbial “warm spot in a cold area”. Cherry Ridge is just temperate enough to ripen Syrah (most years) in a region best known for the cold-loving Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. Just over three acres are planted, split between clones 470, 383 and 877, for the balance of bright fruit, white pepper spice, and plush tannins that we love.
Tasting Notes
Another drought year leading to water stressed vines produced a richly phenolic wine further intensified with a healthy dose of whole cluster fermentation. Swirling the glass offers up dizzying aromas of freshly picked berries and mom’s delights roasting in the kitchen: blackberries, cherry pie, pepper, tobacco and bacon. The skillful addition of new wood is expressed in the subtle nuance of vanilla and smoke. A velvety pillow greets the palate, followed by luscious blackberries, balanced acidity and sturdy yet refined tannins that linger alongside pleasing notes of berry and crispy bacon. Indelibly a food wine, this Syrah demands the attention of your hardiest recipes.
Food Pairings
Indelibly a food wine, this Syrah demands the attention of your hardiest recipes.
Vintage Notes
The 2014 vintage was another exceptional one for Russian River Valley red wines. The dry spring gave the vines a great jump on the growing season and excellent flowering weather. The summer and fall brought classic Russian River Valley fog and sun patterns with no sustained heat spikes. This gave us a long post veraison season for exceptional phenolic ripening, and tremendous depth of fruit. We harvested our Syrah right after our pinot came in, on October 6.
Winemaking Notes
In the traditional fashion, our Syrah is fermented in small open top fermenters, where punch downs impart a softness which so compliment the depth inherent in this varietal. The fruit is hand sorted and destemmed, and the must is cold-soaked for 5 days in order to gently extract color, spice and fruit characters, while mitigating harsher tannins. One of two tanks was fermented with 40% whole clusters. After fermentation, the wine is racked into French oak to age. During its 20 months of barrel aging, this wine was racked twice: once for initial blending and barrel honing, and a second time to further bring along flavor and tannin development. We always start out with fewer new barrels than it might end up in, both to finesse the amount of new wood, and to season some new barrels with white fermentation before using them in the final Syrah aging. The wine was bottled in June of 2016.
Technical Info
Alcohol: 13.8% Ta: 6.4 g/L pH: 3.54 Barrel Aging: 20 months in French oak (40% new barrels)
Vineyard Notes
Cherry Ridge juts out over the west side of Green Valley just north of the Petaluma Wind Gap. This scenic vineyard enjoys a south facing slope at the top of the ridge, making it a proverbial “warm spot in a cold area”. Cherry Ridge is just temperate enough to ripen Syrah (most years – not in 2010 or 2011) in a region best known for the cold-loving Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. Just over three acres are planted, split between clones 470, 383 and 877, for the balance of bright fruit, white pepper spice, and plush tannins that we love.
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