2003 DUTTON RANCH SYRAH

The Wine
Deep garnet in color, our Dutton Ranch Syrah is the epitome of a cool-climate wine with a full body exhibiting aromas of vanilla, plum and blueberry. The palate has a silky texture with flavors of blackberry, currants, plum and pink grapefruit, with essence of vanilla, tobacco and cola. The round, smooth mouth-feel and soft forward fruit make this a lush and leisurely drinking syrah. Serve with meals of game birds, venison, pork, lamb and rich sharp cheeses. The wine will enhance with bottle age.

The Vineyard
Dutton Ranch farms over eighty unique, separate vineyards located in the coolest areas of the Russian River Valley, primarily in the sub-appellation known as the Green Valley. We have selected our favorite vineyards from our family’s Dutton Ranch to craft wine reflecting our vision of a signature Russian River Valley Syrah. Cherry Ridge Vineyard is to be found on the east-facing slope that forms the western edge of the Green Valley. Temperatures in this vineyard are clement enough to ripen Syrah in this famous Pinot Noir and Chardonnay growing region. Gail Ann's vineyard, named after Joe Dutton's mother, is located in a "warmer spot of a cool region" on the northern part of the Russian River Valley. The vines grow in Wachika soil and show dark fruits with an abundance of chocolate flavors.

The Winemaking
Our Russian River Syrah is fermented in small, open top fermenters and punched down by hand. Prior to fermentation, the de-stemmed fruit is cold-soaked to silken the mouth-feel and brighten the fruit. After fermentation, the juice is pressed off and the wine is racked into French and American oak to age. We carefully choose our barrels for the Dutton Ranch blend in late spring and carefully blend our lot together to allow the wine to marry and settle before we bottle with minimal processing in late summer. Fourteen barrels were made of this unique wine.

Tech Notes
2003 Dutton Ranch Syrah