Three Way Vineyard, Paso Robles
TASTING NOTES:
The 2024 vintage has a deep purple color. The hues are bright and youthful, a gorgeous shade of deep garnet. The aromas are of ripe blue/black berry fruits; mulberry, boysenberry and huckleberry. Syrah is known for an earthen edge, and you might find a wee bit of mineral dust, but this is a fruit driven Syrah, and any terroir has been smothered by the luscious ripe berry fruit. Aged in barrels that were toasted over a hickory generated flame provides the bouquet qith a unique smoky scent. I associate with roasted game as well as nuanced notes of cacao and coffee. With time in the glass our hallmark sweet caramel scent makes an appearance. On the palate, savory flavors of ripe dense black fruits have married well with those of creamy almost sweet oak. Due to our methods of extracting the color and flavor from the skins of the grapes we have produced a wine with plenty of texture, yet it remains supple and free of astrigent chewy tannins. It doesn't hurt when the grapes come to us fully ripened and the tannins are mature to start with. The fruit component of this vintage lingers deep into the finish and fails to yield to an earthy dustiness. This is a big savory fruit centric Syrah and while I am hesitant to suggest time in the cellar for this variety, the acidity of the 2024 wine should hold the fruit while additional complexities develop, but then the tannins are so soft and integrated why wait? This wine cries out for a grilled center cut pork chop with a fruit sauce. Yum!
TECHNICAL NOTES:
Varietal Composition: 100% Syrah
15.4% Alc. 0.69 g/100ml TA 3.35 pH
Oak Regime: 46% American Oak 27% French Oak 27% Neutral Oak
We can grow Syrah here in
Amador County and it is well suited to our climate and decomposed granitic
soils. Yet we go all the way to Paso
Robles (275 miles door to door almost five hours in a Penske rental truck) to
purchase the Syrah from the Three Way Vineyard.
Why? Relationships. When folks hear for the first time that we
purchase 95% of the grapes we use to produce our wines many believe I am out in
the market each vintage and looking for and buying only the best grapes. Not so.
The quality, style, and consistency of a wine from year to year has a
lot to do with the grapes coming from the same vineyard. We have established partnerships with growers
that have demonstrated a passion for growing grapes that equals our passion for
making wine. Sourcing fruit from the
same growers tending the same vineyard is the key to quality and
consistency. I have known Steve Carter,
our Syrah grower in Paso Robles, since 1990 when I joined the J. Lohr
winemaking team and Steve was the vineyard manager for Jerry Lohr in Paso
Robles. When I launched my own label in 1995,
I purchased Syrah grapes from Jerry Lohr for two years. We did well with the wines. Some might say we did too well because Jerry
soon asked me to find another source for Syrah.
By that time Steve had purchased ground and was growing Syrah on Adobe
Road just south of the J. Lohr winery and offered to sell me a couple of
tons. Our relationship has flourished
since then, and we now purchase not just Syrah from Steve but also Graciano,
Grenache and Cabernet Sauvignon.
The Three-Way vineyard is
located on the ‘Westside’ of Highway 101 about five miles outside of Paso
Robles on Adelaide Road. The vineyard’s
location is stunning. It sits on a knoll
at 1,600 feet of elevation. Looking to
the East one can see the ribbon of Highway 46 as it stretches towards
Shandon. To the West, up and over the
lush coastal hills, the Pacific Ocean is just 23 miles away. Steve purchased the property in 2012 and
planted it in 2013. The fruit is
spectacular, but unfortunately Steve’s production is limited, and we rarely see
more than six tons of Syrah, just enough to make 360 cases.
Gold Medal - Orange County Fair Wine Competition
The price of this product varies with the quantity of products ordered in the category "Mix and Match"
| Qty | Unit Price |
| 1 - 11 | $35.00 |
| 12 + | $35.00 $31.50 |
|
