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Appellation: |
Napa Valley, Spring Mountain District |
Vineyard: |
Miravalle |
Varietal: |
86% Syrah, 14% Viognier |
Aged: |
100% in 2 Year Old French Oak Barrels |
Production: |
198 Cases
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Winemaker Notes |
With this special, small production assemblage, the 2004 Syrah CO-FERMENT debuts as its second vintage on Spring Mountain. Co-fermentation is a winemaking technique practiced in some of the most exclusive wine producing regions in the world. The process of co-fermentation involves crushing and fermenting two or more different grape varieties in the same tank. In France’s Côte-Rotie region (specifically the sub-region Côte-Blonde) the white grape variety Viognier is fermented with the red variety Syrah. The Viognier is often blended with Syrah in this region to soften the wine and make it more complex. Early blending makes the best marriage of aromas and flavors, and co-fermenting is the epitome of early blending.
The 2004 Syrah CO-FERMENT is a wine that shows the strength and spicy individuality of Syrah and the adorning floral nuances of Viognier. With a swirl and a sip you discover the delightful aromatics of white flower petals overlaying a basket full of vibrant red berries, spiced with white and black pepper and a touch of clove. This enchanting and rare combination intrigues the palate as the nose picks up the floral aromas and the mouth enjoys a complete, balanced full-bodied wine. Patience over the next six months, allowing the wine to continue to develop and mature in the bottle will yield tremendous rewards. |
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The 2004 Vintage |
| The 2004 vintage stands out as memorable, with fruit that bears the imprint of an early spring, and a slow and steady ripening period that ended several weeks ahead of traditional harvest timelines. Warm, consistent summer weather was bracketed by an early spring bud break and several late summers’ hot spells, creating growing conditions that allowed for one of the earliest harvest periods in almost a decade, and an unusual opportunity for making outstanding wine.
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Spring Mountain Vineyard |
Originally four individual historic Napa Valley properties, Miravalle, La Perla, Alba, and Chevalier have now been combined to create an 850 acre estate of forest and vineyard on the eastern slopes of Spring Mountain overlooking the small town of Saint Helena. Over 225 acres of the estate are planted to vine, creating 135 separate hillside vineyard blocks each with its own unique soil, exposure, and microclimate. The vineyard is planted in densities of 4,000 vines per acre and trained to the ancient gobelet form, a vertical trellising method that was invented in an earlier millennium by the Romans.
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