Planted along the banks for the Columbia River, at the southern tip of Horse Heaven Hills AVA, Alder Ridge Vineyard’s site selection is second to none. Benefiting from the warmer continental climate of Columbia Valley’s growing season, but with cooling effects from the proximity of the river, high winds from the gorge, and large drops in nighttime temperatures- a beautiful balance of enough heat to optimally ripen but cool enough to retain the fruit’s vibrancy.
This Syrah was sourced from Alder Ridge Vineyard’s Block 10A, nestled at high elevations along the bluff which is beneficial for retaining the grape’s acidity, while the high winds from the gorge help thicken the grape’s skins throughout the growing season which is great for the formation of tannins. All this points to wonderfully structured fruit.
Once harvested, we separated the Syrah into two separate ferments using two different yeast strains. A California derived yeast yielded a fruit-forward wine full of blackberry and blueberry flavors, while the Rhone Valley derived yeast strain gave way to complex flavor profiles of black licorice, charcoal and black pepper. Along with great flavor, this wine is by far the biggest and boldest wine we’ve crafted. We barrel aged for 20 months to soften the texture which added some complementary oak flavors. Like the Mourvèdre, this wine was built to cellar and enjoy for years to come.
