Donnachadh Syrah Santa Rita Hills 2018 750 ML

Donnachadh (Donna-nuh-kuh) is an organically farmed vineyard in the heart of the Santa Rita Hills AVA of Santa Barbara County. The property was planted with vines in 2013, the culmination of a dream for owners Drew and Laurie Duncan. This Syrah comes from Alban clone vines in the riverside block of the vineyard. The soil is fine sandy loam overying coarse gravel on a flat terrace above the Santa Ynez River. The riverbed is better protected from the wind than the hillside portion of the vineyard, but a thermal inversion traps cool air along the valley floor and creates conditions suitable for old-world style Syrah. Grapes were hand picked at ideal ripeness to balance acidity with rich fruit flavors. At the winery, each batch of grapes was basket pressed while still cool. During fermentation, daily punchdowns by hand were used to gently extract rich flavor, deep color, and smooth tannins. This wine aged 14 months in used french oak barrels before bottling.