2008 SYRAH - CARNEROS | RAMAL VINEYARD

The Ramal Vineyard is located in Carneros on south-facing slopes overlooking the San Pablo Bay, a northern branch of San Francisco Bay. In addition to the sand and clay-based soils that predominate in Carneros, this vineyard features rocky sections of a type seldom seen in Carneros.

The 2008 growing season was a roller coaster year. It began with dry warm weather that started vines growing early. Then there were freezing temperatures during the spring (down to 23 degrees F. in some areas of Sonoma County) causing some damage due to frost, followed by excessive heat and high wind during bloom. Thereafter we had slightly above average temperatures, followed by slightly below average temperatures all summer long. From a winemaking perspective, the dry growing season produced the benefit of inducing "moderate stress" on the vines, which limited growth of the canopy and focused the vines' energy on the grapes. The smaller berries with the slightly lighter crop combined to produce beautiful concentrated fruit flavors.