Nose
Blueberry, blackberry, red raspberry, plum, and generous amounts of French, American, and Hungarian oak. White pepper, savory, earthy, sweet tobacco, and violets.
Palate
Balanced with a mouth-coating grip, medium tannins, and juicy.
Growing Conditions
2021 was a moderate growing season with no big highs or lows. Conditions during ripening were ideal with longer hang times and further development. Bolder more expressive aromatics and flavors will be a highlight from the 21’ vintage. The bulk of our Steinbeck Syrah comes from one of the oldest Syrah vineyards in the US.
Harvest
Hand harvested
Winemaking
Syrah was not widely known in the U.S. in the 1970s. Gary Eberle secured the bud wood from U.C. Davis originally propagated from Chapoutier’s plantings in Tain-l’Hermitage, France. He planted twenty acres of this Syrah clone in Paso Robles and became the first winemaker to produce a 100% Syrah varietal wine in the U.S. in 1978.
After handpicking the fruit in the early morning, it was carefully sorted, destemmed with a small amount of the whole cluster, and pumped to the tank.It was then co-fermented with 3% Viognier, which adds floral aromas and increases the violet intensity and hue.It went through a three-day cold soak to improve color and aromatics while slowly warming and starting a natural fermentation. After a few days of natural ferment, we inoculated with (Eberle's secret). During the hottest part of the ferment, we performed pumoovers twice a day and then use pulsing(using large air bubbles to turn over the cap and mix). Pressed off around two weeks to a settling tank and racked off solids two days later to a mix of 30% new French, Hungarian, and American. Barrique aging for 15 months, filtered and bottled.
Aging
15 months in barriques.
Food Pairing
Pairs well with braised beef, duck with plum sauce, and grilled pork ribs.
