2021 Clarke Vineyard Syrah

The Clarke Vineyard in American Canyon has a cool breezy climate that brings out the depth and finesse of the Syrah grape. Clone 877 is used for body and raspberry chocolate fruit, and a little Clone 383 for extra color and smoky complexity. A small amount of Viognier was co-fermented with the Syrah to add its exotic appeal. 2021 was another low rainfall year, with bud break on March 28 and bloom on May 26. Veraison was on August 10, and development of concentration seemed slow until early October when it finally began to truly ripen. We brought in the Syrah on October 11 at 27 Brix and it had very good acidity. We gave the tank three days of cold soak before adding Williams Selyem yeast, then pressed 14 days later. It went to barrel 2 days later and stayed in barrel for 10 months. Ripe intensity and a perky acidity characterize the Syrah from Clarke in 2021, as it again has the show stealing exotic charm that it casts every time a bottle is opened. The 2021 Clarke Syrah offers intriguing aromas of ripe plum, chocolate covered cherry, vanilla and spice – something new shows up every time you swirl the glass! The palate is filled with black cherry, hints of coconut and vanilla. The Syrah spreads over the palate charming and smiling as it goes, almost too easy to drink!