2023 rocks of bawn

Walking the soils of the Rocks District is difficult - literally 100% cobblestones underfoot and under the vines that grow here. These old riverbeds harbor the most interesting vineyards in the New World. The AVA in the Walla Walla Valley lies at the lowest elevation and where all the cool air pools from the surrounding hills - in summer the cooler air helps Syrah with the excessive heat prevalent in the Eastern WA and OR summers. In winter however, the freezing temperatures can damage and even destroy the vines that cannot tolerate this winter chill - so the vines are farmed so that they can be buried under the rocks providing enough warmth to protect the vines and fruitful buds for the coming year. It is a tremendous amount of work to farm in such a difficult environment but the resultant wines are full of character and complexity.

Approximately 40% of the clusters were added whole bunch directly to the fermenters with the balance destemmed but whole berry - as a result the wines are savory from the whole cluster and extremely textural from the gentle handling. After fermentation in small 1.5 ton open-tops with manual punchdowns twice daily - the free run went directly to barrel and the pomace to a Coquard French press where the remaining wine was gently pressed. Bursting with flavor, body, and color the Syrah is a testament to the hard work of all involved - we can’t think of a wine that received so much nurturing. Should improve for 10 years.