Syrah 2016, Gravity Flow Block, Bradford Mountain Estate Vineyard

The “Gravity Flow Block” Syrah is the realization of a dream of mine to produce a Syrah grown on the most exposed, welldrained location on our Bradford Mountain vineyard. This rocky hillock directly behind my house on Bradford Mountain got its name from the fact that at the top sits our 10,000 gallon water tank that serves our house and garden via gravity flow. Though I had cleared the brush off the hill in the early 1990’s, it remained unplanted through the remainder of the decade as I put my efforts into our new winery. In March 2000, I planted the vineyard to 90% Syrah (five clones), 8% Viognier and 2% Petite Sirah with the vines planted 3 feet apart in the row and 6 feet between rows. Though the rocky ground made digging the planting holes a pain, we dug extra large holes mixing the rocky parent soil with substantial quantities of compost to give the vines a jump-start. In 2003, we harvested and produced our first Syrah from this planting. Our Gravity Flow Block Syrah is a big, flavorful wine, displaying the classic “iron fist in a velvet glove” qualities that are very representative of both the vintage and the vineyard on Bradford Mountain.