The Benziger family believes that the nature of great wine lies in vineyard character, winemaker artistry and family passion. At Benziger this means farming and vinifying select vineyards to mine the unique personality of each, winemaking that combines intuition and artistry with attention to detail, and a pervading family passion. In its quest for uniqueness through diversity, each year the family produces over 300 lots of grapes from over 60 ranches in over a dozen appellations. Benziger`s philosophy in its range of wines is to find the best vineyards lots which represent the true spectrum of flavor that vintage has to offer. Because of this, the vineyards, and sometimes the appellation, may change from one growing season to the next. Grapes are principally sourced from the Pigoni Vineyard in Sonoma County; the Polesky and Wattle Creek Vineyards in the Alexander Valley; the Shell Creek Vineyard in Paso Robles in the Central Coast; the Bien Nacido Vineyard in the Santa Maria Valley; the Ricci Vineyard in Carneros; and the McNab Ranch in Mendocino. Composition is predominantly Syrah but may include a small percentage of Petite Syrah depending on the vintage. Fruit from the Bien Nacido Vineyard, which has a long growing season and cool climate, balances that from Shell Creek and Pigoni, with a much warmer climate and shorter growing season. Shell Creek grapes yield full fruit flavor and aromas while that from Bien Nacido is firmer with complex layers and herb and black pepper flavors. The Wattle Creek and Polesky Vineyards enjoy the Alexander Valley`s long, warm growing season, allowing the fruit to hang longer to full maturity, adding more intensity and complexity to the wine. Depending on the climatic cycle, judicious irrigation during the summer controls growth and crop thinning after verasion aids in ripening Lots from the separate vineyards are crushed and individually cold-soaked at 55°F for approximately two days prior to fermentation to extract color and intensity while controlling tannins. Fermentation takes place primarily in open-top fermenters, with a small percentage in closed-top fermenters, depending on the vintage, for 9 to 12 days with daily punching down and pumpovers at temperatures up to 85°F. The lots are aged in French and American oak barrels for approximately 16 months. Blending takes place in the second spring or summer following the vintage.

Tasting notes

Benziger Syrah shows complex aromas of black fruit,smoky tar and dried herb leading to a soft mouthfeel with flavors of black cherry, herb and sweet earth. Very forward fruit in the mouth with good tannic structure, the wine ends on a long finish noted by ripe fruit, cherry and plum with nuances of black pepper and meaty overtones.

Technical notes

GRAPE VARIETY: +/-100% Syrah ALCOHOL: 14.2%-14.7% TOTAL ACIDITY: .60-.65 pH: 3.55-3.65 RESIDUAL SUGAR: .04-.06