Wine Specs
Vintage
2018
Varietal
Syrah
Appellation
Paso Robles
Harvest Date
October 1 2018
Sugar
26.4 Bric
pH
3.58
Aging
18 months in 45% Gamba and Fouially Barrels, 55% neutral barrels
Alcohol %
15.4
2018 Syrah
94 Points - Wine Spectator
In Stock
The warmest, steepest, and driest part of our Estate Vineyard is "lovingly" called Devil's Canyon by those that farm it. The Syrah grown there is a profound statement on the effects of our climate and soil upon the grapes we grow. This wine embodies why we feel our site is such an incredibly unique place to grow and make wine.
Wine Profile
Tasting Notes
Beautifully rich purple in color, this wine embodies the weight and depth our Estate is able to produce. Upfront massive blueberry, cacao and smoky cracked pepper beef combine with robust tannins creating an expressive Syrah. Toasted oak notes combine with wonderfully juicy acidity to create the perfect lingering flavors just begging for braised spareribs.
Vineyard Notes
The 2018 Syrah comes from Devil’s Canyon, otherwise known as Block 6. This block is planted on our steepest slope, containing nearly no topsoil and faces directly Southwest. While an unpleasant site to farm and harvest, it produces the most exhilarating fruit on our estate. The Grenache blended in comes from our head trained block 13 on the top of our Estate. This vintage produced perfect Paso Robles conditions of ample winter rainfall, gentle spring for flowering and fruit set, followed by warm but not overly hot summer providing perfect conditions for prolonged ripening. This let us pick the fruit in October, a full month later than usual.
Production Notes
845 cases
Winemaker Notes
The Syrah for this vintage was de-stemmed and fermented in 3.5 ton open top concrete tanks. Twice daily pump overs were performed until 70% completion of fermentation. We then, changed to gentle punch downs to ease extraction of flavors for a total of 19 days on skins. The tanks were pressed and 45% racked into a new French Gamba and Fouially barrels. The remaining 55% was aged in neutral French barrels. Aged for 18 months with no racking and topped exclusively with Estate Grenache from block 14 to add a bit of lighter fruit to the overall structure. After racking, a bit more Estate Grenache has added to the final blend and was then bottled with no fining or filtration.
Product Reviews
Mary Thompson
(Sep 12, 2020 at 1:59 PM)
The 2018 Syrah was absolutely delicious. That small addition of Grenache gave it a unique flavor. I bought 7 bottles, that's how much I liked it!
Joseph Salzillo
(Nov 2, 2020 at 2:54 PM)
An outstanding Syrah!! I’ve lost count of how many bottles I’ve bought 😃😄
Glenn Wishon
(Dec 3, 2020 at 10:05 AM)
WE spent 4 days last week sampling Syrahs from 6 wineries. The Calcareous came out on top and far and away. Rich, dark, luscious, multi-layered, it's a wine for your whole mouth.
