Rowland Wines

1998 RED TRIANGLE SYRAH We like: Tannin and Spice and the concentration... mmm nice! The philosophy for making the ’98 Syrah was simple. Just match the quality of the ‘97. The challenge was out, and it would demand some dramatic choices. With poor weather hampering ripening, I took immediate action to decrease both the yield and canopy. By focusing the precious hours and minutes of color-producing and flavor-concentrating sunlight on fewer clusters, quality would jump. It required a massive 50% fruit drop at the protestations of my growers and numerous passes in the vineyard through the season to remove unwanted leaves and shoots shading the fruit. In the cellar, I followed my Australian tradition and palate, finding that a cépage including Bordelais varieties yet again made the best wine. Cabernet added firmness and structure while the Cabernet Franc and Merlot add notes of floral and spice and all things nice. I attribute the success of the 98 Red Triangle Syrah to the idea of creating another ‘97, from vineyard to wine. Such a theme strained relations between my growers and me, but resolution came at my recent growers tasting. They all wanting double the grower allocation of cases and ecstatically gave their thumbs up approval that it had all been worthwhile and then some. Notes and Stats Yield: 50% fruit removal at verasion resulted in a low 3 tons per acre Vineyard Data: Vertical trellis with de-leafing around clusters for extra color and flavor Yeast: 50% wild yeast, 50% cultivated Rhone Valley yeast Time on Skins: 22 days Fermentation: 36 hour cold soak, 100% whole berry co-fermentation of varieties Cooperage: 50% new oak, 50% blend of French and American oak Cepage: Syrah 75%, Cabernet Sauvignion 20%, Cabernet Franc 3%, Merlot 2% Clarification: Lightly fined, unfiltered Vineyard Sites: Coombsville 89%, Oak Knoll 9%, Atlas Peak 3% Winemakers Notes: A dark, dense, full-bodied wine, plump with ripe plums, white pepper spice, licorice and black fruits. Back to Releases page... Also be sure to learn about...