theCompass
 Home   Map   Blog Roll   WineCompass   Wine 101   My Compass 

Syrah Old Lakeville Road

Syrah Old Lakeville Road Wine Details
Price: $30.00 per bottle

Description: Old Lakeville Road is a lonely stretch of highway, just west of the Carneros hills, that seems to have long ago lost any reason for its existence. At the turn of the last century Lakeville was a seasonal resort for visitors to the Petaluma River area, but it is now abandoned. A few years ago, the Sangiacomo family developed a 12-acre Syrah vineyard on a steep hillside parcel just east of Old Lakeville Road, overlooking the Petaluma River. When they asked us to supply the budwood, we chose cuttings we knew to have come from Cornas, Hermitage and Côte-Rôtie. The slope is 45 degrees at its steepest and faces southwest, forming a natural amphitheater opening onto the San Francisco Bay. Temperatures are moderate, so the ripening is slow and even. The wine is dark and aromatic. It has loads of spice, traces of blueberries, and that most intriguing element the French call ‘animal’.

Varietal Definition
Syrah:
Syrah is the eight hundred pound gorilla of Rhone grapes! In the vineyard and the winery, Syrah is typically an easy grape to work with - healthy, early ripening, resistant to mildew and rot; suitable for winemaking in a variety of styles. The wines from Syrah are tannic without being harsh. The wines will have a taste and smell of dark blue fruit like blackberries and blackcurrant, with a strong spicy side where one can find freshly ground pepper and other spices. Syrah is famous for its part in the French blends, such as Côtes du Rhone and Châteauneuf du Pape.


Reviews




Back to Neyers Vineyards information