2005
Paul Hobbs Syrah, Kick Ranch, Kick Ranch Vineyard Sonoma County
Winemaker's Notes
This syrah offers all the bold, heady character you might expect from the varietal, but is absolutely refined in its balance of power with elegance and sophistication. A deep ruby hue tinged with blue is the prelude to a nose scented with blueberry and subtle notes of white pepper and smoke. A palate that is weighty on the tongue wraps mocha, sweet tobacco and pepper around a rich core of cranberry and black tea that shows just a soupçon of smoked meat. Well-integrated and fine tannins frame a wine that is drinking beautifully now and will clearly develop over the next several years. Alcohol 15.2%
Vineyard
Owner/Manager
Dick Keenan and Kathleen McNamara
Vineyard
Kick Ranch Vineyard
Appellation
Sonoma County
Clones
Hermitage
Vineyard Age
Planted in 2001
Site
gravely clay loam, with lots of exposed red volcanic soil on hillside
Yield
2.5 tons /acre
Harvest
Harvest Date
October 12
Harvest Brix
26.2°
Growing Season
Extended warm weather in spring led to an early budbreak. The summer brought consistent temperatures resulting in low yields and allowing for extended hang time. A wave of heat at the end of the summer increased flavor intensity and complexity in the fruit and led to an early harvest at the beginning of October.
Winemaking
• Hand-harvested grapes
• Fermented in small, open-top stainless steel fermentors with indigenous yeasts
• 5 day cold soak, 19 days total maceration
• Spontaneous malolactic fermentation in barrels, 6 months to completion
• Aged 17 months in Francois Freres, Cadus and Damy French oak barrels; 75% new
• Unfined, unfiltered, bottled in March 2007
• 95% Syrah, 5% Cabernet Sauvignon
