No surprise to us, Atoosa’s Vineyard represents our most brooding Syrah of the 2015 vintage. The vines produced smaller berries (and less of them) this year, yielding naturally inky purple juice. This cooler climate wine from a slow-ripening site pays tribute to all the spicy complexity Syrah can accomplish when grown and fermented with the love and attention it deserves.
No need for new oak on this one, we selected 100% older “neutral” barrique for the final blend. Syrah in general is surprisingly oak sensitive and it would be a crime to mask the character of this site. We employed 75% whole-cluster fermentation on one lot and no whole-cluster on another to get both sides of the story, then left the wine on its skins after fermentation for almost a solid month to help form longer tannin chains and encourage a softer mouth feel.
Atoosa’s is a pure expression of the mysterious, animal side of the grape. Loads of black fruit, with hints of pepper, flowers, tar and a touch of bramble from the whole-cluster fermentation. We hope you can cellar some to watch it evolve over the years and perhaps even the decades. If you must drink some sooner rather than later, give it a healthy decanting and pair it with some hearty fare, or enjoy an open bottle over several days to watch it unfold.
DRINKING WINDOWS
Prime drinking: late 2018 through 2022 Graceful ageability: 2023 through 2024
VINEYARDS
100% Atoosa's Vineyard
CLONES
80% 470, 20% 877
STATS
pH: 3.81 | TA: 6.3 g/L | Alcohol: 14.8% Bottling: May 22, 2017 | Pre-Release: Fall 2017 Cases Produced: 119
Direct sales are allocated exclusively to EK Allocation List members at a 10% discount. Orders of 6+ bottles save an additional 50% off shipping. New releases ship twice a year, once in the spring and again in the fall. Join EK Allocation List
CUSTOMIZED ALLOCATIONS
You may customize your spring and fall allocations any way you like, from 0–12 bottles of each wine. (Small-lot and list-only wines will have lower limits.) To modify your allocations, click on MY ALLOCATION above. Join EK Allocation List
REORDERS
Wines often sell out at or close to release, so we encourage making the most of your spring and fall allocations. As long as wine remains, you are welcome to reorder online through our EK Special Order store. Or contact John Gillis at john@erickentwines.com or 415.244.9453.
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