Syrah - Sirah
Dry Creek Valley, Certified Organic
2005

Like so many of our wines this one is a melding of different but compatible tastes and textures. And like so many of our creations this one was the result of serendipitous discovery. My oft-told story of seeking Petite Sirah grafting wood in the 1970's and finding Syrah instead, might be construed as the naïve stumbling of an unschooled grower. I prefer to think of it as an alliterative genius, attributing vinous compatibility to alphabetic proximity. In any case our then unique (and trademarked) combination of Syrah and Petite Sirah on the label and in the bottle served us well as we positioned Dry Creek as a Rhône Valley Surrogate.

Grown side-by-side on the same soils and with the same management techniques, Syrah gave us plummy-earthy complexity with an explosivepalate, white Petite Sirah gave us rapier-like tannins gloved in a cherry-berry infusion. Expansive vs. focused. Finesse with power. The resulting blend has served us well for 20 years and is apt anchor for our Rhône-style wine program.

Technical Data
Varietals: 55% Syrah, 45% Petite Sirah
Vintage: 2005
Estate Grapes: 100%
Soil: Gravel Benchland
Oak: French
Alcohol By Volume: 13.9%
Bottling Date: 02/28/2007
Release Date: 12/01/2007
Total Cases: 965
CA Retail: $28.00

Aging Potential
15 years from vintage

Updated: December 17, 2007