Production: 44 Cases

Release Date: May 2009

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2006 Novy Simpson Vineyard Syrah

The Simpson Vineyard is at the very far northern end of Dry Creek Valley not far from Pedroncelli Winery. That makes it a very warm spot for Syrah and that, quite frankly, makes it a challenge. One of the goals we have set for ourselves is to improve the wines we make from these warmer locations. To do this with the Simpson Vineyard required a bit of planning. We purposefully blended in a small percentage of Viognier grapes with the Simpson Syrah. This technique of co-fermenting Viognier with Syrah is used in the Cote-Rotie region of France to increase the aromatic complexity of the wines and is something that we
felt would truly benefit the Simpson Syrah.
In addition to the Viognier addition, we also chose to ferment the wine using the vineyard’s native yeasts. Also, because yields were particularly tiny (only 1.737 tons out of 1 acre), we were especially careful not to over extract the wine by punching down the cap only one time a day during the fermentation. At the end of fermentation we pressed the wine directly to barrel and it remained in these barrels, without racking until bottling.
The Simpson Syrah displays a vibrant red color. The nose is very floral with gobs of black cherries, earth, and tar. In the mouth, the wine is surprisingly complex with clay and a wild blackberry flavors balanced by some noticeable but ripe tannins. This wine will match well now with hamburgers on the grill but give it some time and it should develop more complexity and pair with any number of hearty dishes.