Black Swift 2014 Long Road Syrah 750ml

This 100 acre vineyard was planted in 1999 at the northern tip of the Osoyoos Bench. Planted to clones 99 and 100, this south facing vineyard site is a theoretical combination of the Santa Ynez Valley and St. Joseph in the style of wines that have emerged from it. Sustainably farmed, this vintage was cropped at 3 tons per acre.

All destemmed after gentle sorting at the winery, this wine was fermented slowly at 25 degrees Celsius to fully maximize extraction of the abundantly ripe fruit. After fermentation was complete, the wine was finished in a mix of new and older French oak (50/50) for 16 months. This vintage has an incredible mixture of concentration and elegance. Despite the intensity at this stage, the wine remains beautifully smooth and pleasant to drink at this point, but shows enough stuffing to it that indicates it will have a long and complex life ahead.

--Winemaker