Martha Stoumen 2021 Syrah, Grist Vineyard, Dry Creek Valley

Item Number: 19404

UPC: None

Country: USA
Region: California
Sub Region: Sonoma
Appellation/AVA: Dry Creek Valley
Estate Grown Wine: No
Vineyard Designation: Grist Vineyard
Vintage: 2021
Grape(s): 95% Syrah / 5% Viognier
Type: Wine - Red
Bottle Size: 750 ml
Pack: 12
Closure: Cork
Alc by Vol(%): 13
Viticulture: Practicing Organic
Soil Type: Iron-rich red volcanic
Elevation: 1,000 feet
Case Production: 232

Martha's Notes: “This is our second Californian celebration of a traditional French technique, co-fermenting mountaintop Syrah with a small percentage of white Viognier grapes. When fermented together, the Viognier skins stabilize and deepen Syrah’s inky color (flavanols reacting with anthocyanins to form highly stable polymers) and brings added freshness to Syrah’s gamier notes. Of course the chemistry of why a dark wine becomes darker when adding white grapes wasn’t well understood centuries ago when this practice started in the Northern Rhône valley, which is both a testament to legacy and the excitement of applied science.”

Vineyard Notes: Grist Vineyard, Dry Creek Valley, Sonoma County; planted in the 1970’s atop Bradford Mountain; farmed according to organic principles

Winemaking Notes: Whole clusters of Syrah and Viognier co-fermented in a sealed tank (semi-carbonic maceration). After opening the tank, the uncrushed fruit was foot-tread and pumped-over to gently extract tannin. Pressed prior to dryness and aged in neutral oak barriques and larger 500-liter puncheons for 29 months before bottling unfined and unfiltered.

Tasting Notes: An inspired splash of Viognier scatters dried violets and tiny fragrant flowers across the nose. Syrah takes a second to show itself, like the friend that doesn’t want to come to the party, but ends up being the life of said party once they’ve entered the room. In other words: big Scorpio energy.