Benessere Syrah St. Helena Estate 2002

Winemaker's Notes:

Syrah is the great varietal grape of the Rhone region of France and several areas in Australia. It is a very popular varietal in California, and has adapted well to our temperate climate. It grows well in many areas and produces a wine that is deeply colored and full-bodied. After hand-picking, the grapes were gently destemmed and crushed into a small, open topped fermentor. The "must" was hand-punched and macerated for 39 days. After pressing, the wine was settled for 36 hours, and racked "dirty" into a combination of new and once-used French oak barrels. After 18 months of aging and three rackings, the wine was bottled unfiltered on April 23rd, 2004. St. Helena Estate This Syrah is a great accompaniment to full flavored dishes. It is a brooding, dark purple, with enticing aromas of ripe blueberries, plums, orange rind and allspice. When tasting, the entry is ripe and full, and loaded with fruit-forward flavors of ripe plums, wild game and saddle leather. 2002 Syrah notes 2002 Syrah label This Syrah is a great accompaniment to full flavored dishes. It is a brooding, dark purple, with enticing aromas of ripe blueberries, plums, orange rind and allspice. When tasting, the entry is ripe and full, and loaded with fruit-forward flavors of ripe plums, wild game and saddle leather. The tannins are smooth and supple, with structure and substance to age or consume with this evenings meal. Pair with sliced duck-breast salad, chanterelle mushroom risotto and baby-back ribs. The 2002 vintage growing season was memorable. A moderately dry winter and the second consecutive year of severe spring frost damage coupled with heavy rains during "bloom" caused a "natural" thinning by Mother Nature. June and July were on the cool side of the dial, but August produced an early heat spike that ratcheted up the maturity of all varietals. A September warming trend relieved our fears that it would be a late harvest, allowing the grapes to ripen fully. Sugar: 25.2