Nose
Notes of roasted earth, root tincture, black pepper and bone broth dominate the nose on this wine.
Palate
Once on the palate, the wine begins to unfold. Behind these tertiary aromatics, lay rich and layered black brambly fruits along with hints of charcuterie. The finish is savory, and lingers pleasantly with a set of nicely fine grained and elegant tannins along side balanced acidity that cleans the palate. The finish is savory, and lingers pleasantly with a set of nicely fine grained and elegant tannins and balanced acidity cleansing the palate.
Growing Conditions
Stillwater Creek Vineyard
Stillwater Creek Vineyard is a 235 acre site on the Royal Slope of the Frenchman Hills. Planted in 2000, the Syrah and Mourvèdre lies at 1400’ elevation on a mixture of fractured basalt and fine sandy loam along the site’s gentle south facing slopes.
The 2015 growing season started early and was warm or hot througout the summer. High temperatures brought an early harvest - for some, the earliest to-date. Thankfully, we started to see cooler weather once we started bringing in the grapes! The abundant heat and sunshine, produced small, concentrated berries making for wines that are richly structured and deep in flavor.
Harvest
September 24, 2015
We harvested our Syrah & Mourvèdre on the same day.
Bottling
April 8, 2019
Winemaking
This wine was crafted in the vineyard. Once in the winery, we loaded the grapes, whole-cluster, into one tank. After three of days of cold-soaking, we began delestage - draining off all of the juice, overnight, and pumping back over the top of the tank. This allows for a gentle extraction as the grapes break down under their own weight. After 6 days, the native fermentation became active. Primary fermentation lasted 20 days. At this point, we sealed the tank and allowed for an extended maceration that lasted for 4 weeks. We pressed and racked to barrel. No post-fermentation blending or any adjustments of any kind. As stated in the beginning, this wine was truly crafted in the vineyard.
Appearance
he color is medium in intensity.
