2008 Sawi Syrah

Most winemakers would agree that Syrah generally likes a warmer climate than does Pinot Noir. When one thinks of Syrah, one often thinks of a sun-drenched Mediterranean landscape, or its equivalent in the Antipodes. Our two Syrahs are cut from a different cloth—they are that unusual breed: cool-climate Syrahs.

One is from inside the western edge of the Carneros appellation and the other is just over the boundary in the Sonoma Valley appellation. Both sites are high up on the same ridge in thin soils and much influenced by the cool marine air blowing from the Pacific through the so-called Petaluma Wind Gap. They are more similar in style to the wines of the northern, cooler end of the Rhone.