2005 Vintage is the Current Release

2006 Vintage (September Release) is a Wine Future Offering

Current Release:

The 2005 UPSLOPE Syrah represents the best 6 barrels in the winery for the vintage. It contains the best wine from each Thompson, Bien Nacido, and Verna’s vineyards wine lots. Now in its third vintage, it is deep and extracted, but with elegance and smoothness that only careful blending can produce. It is a statement – our highest ideal of what fine Syrah can and should be. (142 cases produced)

• Bien Nacido Vineyard harvested on October 18th at 25.4 brix, 3.25 pH, 3.5 TPA.
• Melville/Verna’s Vineyard Syrah harvested October 11th (Clone 1 25.5 brix and 3.5 pH, Estrella Clone 24.4 brix, 3.3 pH)
• The Thompson Vineyard Estrella Clone Syrah on its own rootstock harvested October 14th at 26.5 brix, 3.6 pH, 2.1 TPA.
• The fruit was stemmed but not crushed. Intact, whole berries were placed in small bin boxes for fermentation.
• Fermented on the skins for 14 days after a 48 hour cold soak.
• Wild, RC212, D254, and W.S. yeast used.
• Unfined and unfiltered.
• Bottled in April 2007.
• Barrel use is undefined and unimportant – we just taste them all and pick the best ones.

Retail Price $75.00

Wine Future Offering (September Release):

The 2006 UPSLOPE Syrah represents the best 6 barrels in the winery for the vintage. It contains the best syrah from the year’s production regardless of vineyard, clone, barrel type, or yeast selection. Candidate barrels are selected blind from our 40-some designated syrah barrels. Each barrel is outspoken, but also melds and enhances the final blend. Now in its fourth vintage, it is deep and extracted, but with elegance and smoothness that only careful blending can produce. It is a statement – our highest ideal of what fine Syrah can and should be. (149 cases produced)

• The fruit was stemmed but not crushed. Intact, whole berries were placed in small bin boxes for fermentation.
• Fermented on the skins for 14 days after a 48 hour cold soak.
• Wild, RC212, D254, and W.S. yeast used.
• Unfined and unfiltered.
• Bottled in March 2008.
• Barrel use is undefined and unimportant – we just taste them all and pick the best ones.

Retail Price $75.00