Tim at WineCast is our host for this 30th edition of Wine Blogging Wednesday and the theme that he has chosen this month is New World Syrah. The rule is simple: the wine needs to be made from at least 51% Syrah or Shiraz and come from the New World.The wine that I have selected today is a Syrah from California. However, you will not be able to find it anywhere — except in the cellar or wine cabinet of a few people — because it is a wine that we made ourselves, with the effective assistance of the Crushpad winemaking team. We designed it, punched it, pressed it, barreled it, and finally bottled it just a year ago. Only 25 cases were made.
So after one year in bottle, is the wine any good? You bet!
Our goal was to make a Syrah in the Northern Rhône Valley style, spicy and complex, but not too big. Therefore, we got our fruit from the cool climate Clary Ranch Vineyard, located in the Sonoma Coast AVA, just eleven miles from Tomales Bay. The fruit was destemmed but not crushed, leaving mostly whole berries for fermentation, then aged for 15 months in a one year old Burgundy barrel.
The 2004 La Feuille d'Or Syrah Clary Ranch Vineyard is a blend of Syrah with a dash of Viognier to add floral notes to the blend. After one year in bottle, it has a deep garnet color and an attractively aromatic nose of red berry and vanilla. The palate is medium-bodied, juicy, and fruity, leaving a long peppery finish. This is a very food friendly wine that should be enjoyed now or within a few years.Thanks Tim, this was a great theme!
Related stories:
• Making our own wine!
• Making our own wine: update 2
• Making our own wine: update 3
• Making our own wine: update 4 (bottling)
Technorati tags:: wine food & drinkwine blogging wednesday wbw wbw30
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