2019 Thompson Vineyard Syrah
2019 Thompson Vineyard Syrah
A rich, bold Syrah from Santa Barbara's newest A.V.A.
Description
This Syrah offers superb, full-bodied aromatics and flavors. Vibrant aromas of black cherries, dark plums and smoked meats are complemented by hints of cracked black pepper. The flavors are bold and rich with accents of ripe raspberries, plums and a touch of chocolate. The mouthfeel is rich and luscious with fine tannins and balanced acidity. Noted for its exceptional ageability, this Thompson Vineyard Syrah will continue to develop complexity and richness for a decade or more.
Vineyard Notes
Planted in the late 1980s, Thompson Vineyard has a well-deserved reputation for outstanding Syrah. The vineyard is planted along the slopes of Alisos Canyon in the Los Alamos Valley, a relatively cool appellation, located between Santa Maria and Buellton in Santa Barbara County. Vines are planted on their own rootstock to the highly regarded Estrella clone. Soils are low nutrient sandy loam, which helps restrict yields and promote vineyard expression.
Production Notes
The 2019 vintage enjoyed a long, cool growing season, which resulted in bright aromatics, complex flavors and well-balanced natural acidity in the grapes. A mild spring led to late budbreak and bloom, and temperatures remained below average for most of the growing season. Warm late summer weather coaxed the fruit to ripeness. Overall, grapes were ideally ripened with pure fruit expression and rich concentration. Syrah at Thompson Vineyard was harvested on October 30th.
Winemaker Notes
This Syrah was crafted using an adaptation of Australian winemaking techniques, which focuses on extraction early in the fermentation process to bring out the best expression of the grape and minimize the risk of harsh tannins. The grapes were crushed into tanks and given a four-day cold soak. The Syrah was pressed shortly after the conclusion of fermentation and aged for 14 months in older French oak barrels. The wine was bottled unfined and unfiltered on March 31st, 2021.
| Vintage |
2019 |
| Wine Style |
Red Wine |
| Varietal |
100% Syrah |
| Appellation |
Alisos Canyon |
| Acid |
6.75 g/l |
| PH |
3.72 |
| Alcohol % |
14.4 |
| Size |
750 ml |
