Syncline Winery : Our Wines
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Syrah Milbrandt Vineyards
Production: About 500 cases
Tasting Notes
Milbrandt consistently produces some or our most subtle and thrilling syrahs, backed with amazing consistency. Brilliant ruby color with purple/red interior. Complex aromatics of violets, blueberries and bay leaf. In the mouth this wine leads off with dark bramble fruits, blueberries, bay leaf and meaty aromas, followed by olive stones, spice, and violets. An intriguing combination of finesse and power that is sure to improve over time.
Harvest Notes
Appellation: Columbia Valley (Wahluke Slope)
Harvest Dates: Mid Oct
Varietals: 97% Syrah 3% Grenache
Vineyard: Clifton (40%) & Sundance (60%)
Year Planted: Clifton; 2000 - Sundance; 1997
Vineyards
Syrah harvest typically begins in early October on Clifton Vineyard. Clifton is planted with cuttings from Boushey Vineyards at a moderate density and trained to Vertical Shoot Positioning. The vineyard is at a low elevation (550’) with a southwest exposure and backed by black basalt cliffs. Soils are sandy loams overlaying cobbles and basalt. In order to maximize morning sun exposure while ensuring that the fruit is never directly exposed to the hot afternoon sun rows are oriented southwest-northeast. Early shoot thinning and multiple green harvests insure uniformly ripe and intense fruit. This vineyard contributes warm climate flavors of jammy blackberry and meaty characteristics.
Sundance Vineyard lies farther up the Wahluke Slope (700’) with a slight northern slope. Planted at moderate density and trained to Vertical Shoot Positioning. This is a cool site in an otherwise very warm region. Soils are loamy sands and wind-blown loess overlaying hundreds of feet of granite cobbles. Intensely aromatic with bright cool climate flavors of blueberries, violets, olive and pepper. Always harvested later than Clifton, Sundance contributes aromatics, great acidity and structure to the Milbrandt blend.
Fermentation and Aging
The fruit is hand harvested into 800 pound harvest boxes and transported to the winery in the early morning. All fruit is destemmed with no crushing, while the Sundance fruit has 10-30% whole clusters added to the fermenters. All wines are cold soaked followed by inoculated fermentation. Pressing occurs between 5 and 12 days past dryness and is barreled in a blend of French oak, about 10% new. Occasional egg white fining followed by a polish filtration precedes bottling. Barrel time of 14 months.