2015 Estate Grown Syrah
Monticello Vineyards
Upon first opening, the wine has a wonderful spicy forest floor tone on the nose which evolves into dark and peppery black berry fruit aromas. These aromas are enhanced by toasted vanilla and caramel notes with hints of floral and light herb tones. On the palate, the wine is rich yet lively on the attack. A full-bodied mid-palate with well-structured tannins frame the wine nicely into the finish. The finish itself is long, with medium grain tannins and lingering flavors of boysenberry, blackberry, pepper, and vanilla.
Currently Available
Wine Specs
Vintage
2015
Varietal
Syrah
Appellation
Oak Knoll District
Aging
Drink Now through 2028.
Alcohol %
14.5
Wine Profile & Ratings
Tasting Notes
I find deep, dark expressive aromas in this wine. Upon first opening, the wine has a wonderful spicy, forest floor tone on the nose which evolves and opens up into more dark, peppery, black berry fruit. The dark berry and pepper aromas are enhanced by toasted vanilla and caramel aromas, and hints of floral and light herb tones. On the palate, this wine is rich yet lively on the attack, and transitions nicely into a full bodied midpalate with well-structured tannins that frame the wine nicely. The finish is long, with medium grain tannins and lingering flavors of boysenberry, blackberry, pepper and vanilla.
Vineyard Notes
Our excellent success in growing merlot and cabernet franc on our estate in the 1990s along with the availability of several special ENTAV clones of syrah from the Rhone Valley in France led us to plant at our Knollwood Vineyard just ‘across the road’ from our main estate. Our planting design has provided us with very well balanced grapevines and coupled with our meticulous farming practices has produced excellent fruit quality.
As a producer of 100% estate grown wines, we utilize our advantage to continuously experiment with new techniques to enhance our quality even more. Some of the farming practices we are focusing on include one cluster per shoot fruit thinning, different irrigation strategies to match the long “hang time”, cover crop strategies, and many others.
Production Notes
Our 2015 Syrah was hand-picked then destemmed and berry-sorted on the crush pad. We co-fermented our two clonal selections together in bins. Fermentation lasted 12 days with the wine drained and pressed at dryness. Malolactic fermentation took place in barrels. The wine was aged in oak barrels for 23 months.
Winemaker Notes
We’re very excited about the 2015 vintage. As of the time of this writing, the 2015 vintage represents the fourth of five consecutive years of phenomenal quality wines from our vineyards and across Napa Valley. 2015 remained a relatively dry growing season, and the crop yields across our different vineyards was generally lower than normal. The fruit displayed great purity and intensity, which was translated quite well through to the finished wines. The growing season was relatively consistent, with no major heat spikes. In general, the wines from 2015 are displaying ripe fruit, great structure and balance.
Other Notes
Decant 30 Minutes Prior to Serving.