1999 La Serenne, Syrah

This is our first vintage of Syrah, a rather hedonistic wine that friends wanted to buy right out of the barrel last year. The fruit is from the William's "Kiona Vineyard" on Red Mountain. The warm vineyard gave a generous ripeness, and even a bit of shrivel to the grapes just before harvest. This added "hang time" seems to build more complexity into Syrah, creating new aromatic dimensions. Only 11 months in older French oak lets the beauty of this variety shine through: vibrant black fruit aromas, meaty and ripe. It's fat and concentrated on the palate, with substantial alcohol, but the natural suppleness of Syrah keeps everything in harmony. We named this wine La Serenne, one of the local French names for Syrah in the Northern Rhone.

Wine Analysis: pH 3.66
Total Acidity: 5.3 g/l
Alcohol: 14.7%