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Wine Information
Syrah was first planted on the estate in 1978. After making wine from the few remaining vines in 1991 and 1993, we made a serious commitment to this ancient and noble grape, increasing the plantings in the vineyard. Araujo Syrah is a profound, mysteriously compelling wine that reveals yet another aspect of the Eisele Vineyard's unique terroir.
The remarkable 2005 growing season began with one of the wettest springs on record, with soaking rains that continued well into June. Full soil moisture capacity in the vineyard encouraged long leafy shoots, and clear weather at bloom allowed an excellent fruit set, all of which kept our crews busy thinning clusters, leaves and shoots to provide ideal
exposure for the remaining grapes.
A spectacular summer ensued, with warm, sunny days and cool nights, and even through September, the weather continued mild with no severe heat spikes, ripening the perfectly formed clusters slowly and completely. This beautiful season allowed extensive hang time until the end of September, producing grapes with delicious flavors and lower sugars with no dehydration. The generous harvest began on September 27th with early, pre-dawn picks; the last pans of fruit were delivered to the crush pad on October 7th. The fruit was hand sorted, destemmed, and gravity fed to small, open top fermentors, where it underwent cold-soaking, native yeast fermentations with the co-fermentation of 4% Viognier, and extended macerations. The wine was aged in 50% new French oak barrels for 22 months and bottled in June, 2007.
Tasting Notes
This flamboyant wine shows dark, rich purple in the glass, and displays a racy nose of bacon, bitter chocolate, coffee bean and nutmeg. In the mouth, it coats the tongue with opulent flavors of ripe, dark fruit lifted by floral notes of honeysuckle, ending with impeccably fine tannins and a long, mineral note.
Notes winemaker Francoise Peschon: The 2005 Syrah shows tremendous complexity in its range from ‘sauvage’ to finesse, capturing the flamboyance, opulence and exoticism of the varietal in all its wildness, while the exceptional tannin quality of the vintage stands out in its purity and intensity.
Grape Source
96% Syrah Eisele Vineyard
4% Viognier Eisele Vineyard
Napa Valley
Production & Technical Data
Alcohol: 14.8%
Total Acid: 0.58g/100ml
pH: 3.89
Production: 640 cases
Release Date: October 1, 2008