This was one of the most
difficult wines I have ever made. And that challenge made the
eventual success with this syrah even more gratifying. For us
1999 was a great year, marked by a very cool fall. That cool weather
delayed the ripening of these grapes until November 18th! What
came from the fermenters was a very dark wine that was beautifully
fruity, but incredibly high in acidity with fierce, mean tannins.
To deal with what we had, we took a very different winemaking
approach, and it worked wonders. We culled out 3/4 of the barrels--these
went into the 1999 California syrah--and the best ones were left
on their lees (the dead yeast cells left over from the fermentation
process) in barrel for 19 months. We never added any S02 or did
any racking. Like sur-lees aging in chardonnay, the lees gave
richness to the wine's very lean character. And, by avoiding additions
of S02, the small amounts of oxygen that seeped into the barrels
during aging oxidized those mean tannins until they were smooth
and supple. Structurally, this wine has a lot in common with a
European wine; it possesses a fabulous aroma with excellent intensity
of flavor, and yet it is lively on its feet--not ponderous at
all. The tannins have smoothed, and the wine drinks well today
but has obvious aging potential--a food wine if you will, but
a very good one.