Spring Release Wild Mountainside Syrah
2020

Winemaker’s Notes

Our new release of Wild Mountainside Syrah is all about fruit purity—it cascades, expands, envelops, centers, and dominates every aspect of the wine. In the vineyard, a series of warm days immediately prior to picking brought a flush of uniform ripeness to the grapes and this is directly translated into the wine’s fruit profile. The vines produced a moderate crop of small berries filled with wild fruit density and floral, peppery, cool-climate aromatics.

Lovely intensity and drive to the aromas of wild blackberry and boysenberry alongside floral and dried herb complexity. Notes of lavender and pine needle add intrigue. The palate is immediately fruit-driven—crunchy, layered, and deep with brambly intensity and white pepper lift. The wine expands to a plush, velvety mid-palate with supple texture and gravelly mineral tannins. Rising blue fruits appear toward the finish, which is plush and seamless, gaining in elegance over time. I recommend drinking on the young side to experience the wine’s glorious youthful exuberance. Serve at 62°F and drink between late 2022 and 2026.

Andy Smith