The Vineyards

Both vineyard sites are located in the Bennett Valley area of Sonoma County. Bennett Valley is an approved American Viticulture Area, which means that “Bennett Valley” can legally appear on labels as a designated grape-growing region. It is a cooler grape-growing region due to the fog that penetrates the valley consistently during the growing season. This fog cools the area down dramatically at the end of most days, flowing into the valleys and dropping the temperature precipitously.

Because this region is cooler, the grapes typically take longer to ripen because they don’t receive as much sunshine and heat as they would in the warmer growing areas. This slow ripening is important for retaining the grapes natural acidity and allowing the flavors to accumulate in the fruit during the season.

Both the Jemrose Vineyard and Nolan Vineyards are close to the valley floor with slight elevation. The location of these sites puts them directly in the heaviest fog areas and makes them some of the latest ripening spots in the valley!

Growing Season

During most growing seasons, we leave the fruit out until late October or early November so that the fruit can ripen fully. Because Bennett Valley is a cool region, there’s always a risk that the grapes will not ripen fully before they start to go dormant. The 2006 vintage proved to be a good vintage for Bennett Valley Syrah, allowing full fruit maturity before the grape vines started to go dormant. Both sites showed elevated sugar in the fruit, wonderful concentrated fruit flavors, slight dimpling of the fruit, as well as brown crunchy seeds, all signs that the grapes would produce high quality wines.

The season was not warm by any stretch, but we were provided with consistent sunny weather and mild to warm temperatures, which help to slowly ripen the fruit, which also provided for more color density in the resulting wines.

Tasting Notes

The Jemrose has layers of silky smooth tannins that coat the palate and a crisp acidity that gives the wine structural depth. There are aromas of dark blueberries and jam, with hints of dried meats, cocoa, and maple syrup. This wine will be at its best with a few hours of decanting.

Technical Info	Jemrose Syrah
Appellation:	Bennett Valley
Composition:	100% Syrah
Fermentation:	8 days in 1 ton open-top fermentors; 4 punch downs a day
Cooperage:	Aged 13 months in 33% 1-year-old French oak, 33% new American oak and 33% older French Oak
Barrel choice:	Raddoux Appalachian Oak, Seguin Moreau French Oak, Sylvain French Oak
Chemistry:	14.8% Alcohol, 3.54 pH, 5.8 g/L TA, 35 ppm SO2
Production:	93 cases
Release date:	November 2009
Suggested Retail:	$32.00

 

Tasting Notes

The Nolan exhibits a soft entry that glides across the palate and finishes with depth and complexity. The initial aromas of subtle espresso and mocha break away to ripe red berries. There are hints of lavender and roasted meat lying underneath. This wine will be at its best after a few hours of decanting.

Technical Info	Nolan Syrah
Appellation:	Bennett Valley
Composition:	100% Syrah
Fermentation:	8 days in 1 ton open-top fermentors; 4 punch downs a day
Cooperage:	Aged 13 months in 50% New Hungarian Oak, 50% older French Oak
Barrel choice:	Trust Hungarian Oak, Seguin Moreau French Oak
Chemistry:	14.7% Alcohol, 3.74 pH, 5.35 g/L TA, 35 ppm SO2
Production:	93 cases
Release date:	November 2009
Suggested Retail:	$27.00

 

Tasting Notes on prior vintages
2006 Syrah
2004 Syrah
2003 Syrah