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.