"Openly fruity, showing ripe plum and blackberry flavors, with touches of spice, mineral, sage and cedar. Firms midpalate, where this tightens and then ends with a cascading mix of fruit, mineral, cedar, sage and spice notes. Drink now through 2018." James Laube - Wine Spectator, November 2010 - 92 Points

“A lush Syrah that exhibits black fruit, smoke, earth and pepper characteristics." Robert Parker, August 2009 - 90 Points

Eighty percent of the fruit for our 2007 Syrah comes from the meticulously farmed Russell Family Vineyards off of Live Oak Road in the beautiful Westside of Paso Robles. This Syrah is grown by Erich and Joanne Russell on the top of a rugged south-facing slope in rocky limestone soils. The vines are planted a meter apart in the vine rows and each row is a mere two meters wide. The vines face tough growing conditions but the result yields dark, concentrated fruit with an average production of only 2-tons per acre. The other twenty percent of the fruit for this 2007 Syrah comes from our neighbors Scott and Viquel Hawley of Torrin Vineyard. This vineyard is right "next door" to our vineyards and is planted on a north-facing slope. The fruit from this special vineyard adds a wonderful spice and deep, dark layers of flavor to this lovely wine.

This is a big Syrah and a terrific follow up to our earlier 2006 blockbuster. If you are a Syrah fan you'll enjoy this one!