cropthreash


Handmade wines since 1983.

 

 

1998 SYRAH, ROLL RANCH
Upper Ojai, California
 
This is from the warmest vineyard site we harvest each year, and despite my negative remarks elsewhere in this newsletter about wines from such hot spots, I think the 1998 Roll Ranch syrah is very special. The vines are the most meticulously manicured we work with, and the wines show that pedigree every year. In the 1997 vintage, Roll was my personal favorite of the syrahs we produced, and this year it is even better! There is something so pretty about the aroma of this wine; it is full of apricot and plum and peach, I just love it. Because it possesses great purity and balance, we hardly touched it in the winery. The wine was racked only once in early September, and was bottled without fining or filtration in February. Unlike the 1997, which needs time, this is quite delicious right now.