Montemaggiore

The smooth texture and complex flavors of the 2005 Montemaggiore Syrah are due the natural, un-inoculated fermentation. The new label is due to market feedback!

In the Vineyard

Located on a mountainside high above Dry Creek Valley, the rocky soils of Paolo’s Vineyard produce intensely flavored grapes at naturally low yields. Using sustainable practices and organic materials, we farm our estate vineyards without chemical fertilizers, pesticides or herbicides.

The 2005 growing season was long and somewhat difficult due to a wet spring, followed by a cool summer, and a very late harvest. All our Syrah grapes became ripe virtually simultaneously, whereas typically we harvest the highest elevation grapes three weeks before those from the lowest elevation. The longer time spent on the vine, however, resulted in grapes with well-developed and complex flavors.

In the Winery

Hand-harvested in mid-October for optimum tannin ripeness, the grapes traveled less than 100 yards to our estate winery. There they were destemmed but not crushed, carefully hand sorted at the berry level, and held in stainless steel for a four-day cold soak. Two-thirds of the grapes were inoculated with Syrah yeast to emphasize their fruit, while the remainder were un-inoculated to maximize a smooth mouthfeel. The whole berry fermentation in open-top tanks with punchdowns for cap management brought out the wine’s complexity on the palate. After a gentle pressing in a stainless steel basket press in order to limit astringency, the wine aged for 20 months in primarily French oak barrels. Unfined and unfiltered.

On your Palate

The aroma of the 2005 Paolo’s Vineyard Syrah exudes black cherry and pepper, underpinned by hints of blueberry, leather, and spices. The tannins are firm and supple, the texture silky, while the finish is long and lingering.

Montemaggiore Syrah will improve with time in your cellar. In its youth, the wine will flaunt its fruit characteristics, while over time it will gain further complexity and the various elements will integrate. If opened within the first few years of release, we suggest you decant it for an hour or two.

Technical Information

Varietal Blend 100% Syrah

Avg Sugar at Harvest 26.0° Brix

Alcohol 14.8%

Cases Produced 725

Optimum consumption 2008-2012

Cooperage 84% French
16% American

Percentage new oak 38%

Harvest Date Oct 10 & 12, 2005

Bottling Date June 2007

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