Growing Conditions
The 2015 vintage was one of the warmest growing seasons on record in Washington.
Warm temperatures continued through the spring and summer, moderating slightly into fall and extending an early harvest.
Overall, 2015 saw very favorable growing conditions, producing optimal ripening across varieties and yielding outstanding wines throughout the region.
Sourced from our Estate vineyards of Cold Creek and Canoe Ridge in the Columbia Valley in Eastern Washington.
Columbia Valley vineyards lie in the rain shadow of the Cascade Mountains and receive just 6-8 inches of rainfall annually.
Warm, sunny days and cool evening temperatures create ideal conditions for intense aroma and flavor development in the ripening grapes.
Winemaking
Ripe grapes were destemmed and sorted with a cutting-edge grape receiving and sorting system designed to gently remove any green material from the grapes, allowing for pure varietal expression and soft mouthfeel.
Daily gentle pump overs were used to extract optimal flavor and color and minimize harsh tannins.
Frequent airative racking takes place during barrel aging to soften tannins and enhance mouthfeel.
For select lots, a classic Northern Rhône technique referred to as ‘co-fermentation’ was employed, whereby small amount of whole cluster Viognier grapes were added to the Syrah grapes and fermented together.
Aging
Aged in 100% neutral oak barrels for 18 months.
Food Pairing
This wine highlights the broad range of wine that can be made with Syrah. These Syrah (90%) grapes were co-fermented with Viognier (10%) in the style of Côte-Rôtie in Northern Rhône region
of France. The Viognier brings a delicate character to the Syrah and together they create a wine with notes of orange blossom, raspberry brambles and red currants.
