Wine Article
2009 Four Cairn Syrah
Last edited on 2/12/2012 by RPerro
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The 2009 growing season was marked by little rainfall but a long, even growing season. 2009 had a warm winter and led to stable spring to summer temperatures with just a few heat spikes of 100+ degree weather. Yields in the vineyard were slightly higher than normal so extra green drop thinning took place to balance this out. Our harvest date ended up just 1 week beyond our normal schedule.
Our harvest and fermentation practices remain the same. The goal is to pick our estate grown Syrah at the best possible moment and employ minimal handling at the winery. The fruit is handpicked from the best vineyard rows and fermented as whole berries in small bins. We used gentle manual punch-downs twice a day during fermentation. When dry, we perform a very gentle pressing before being racked to French oak barrels. The wine was aged for 16 months in French oak barrels, 45% new including the new Seguin Moreau Icone Elegance barrel.
Winemaker Tasting Notes
The wine has beautiful aromatics that jump out of the glass with aromas of fresh cut flowers, blackberry, cassis and roasted meats. The wine has a rich velvety texture of pure dark fruit, blackberry and cassis with a touch of pepper. Refined soft tannins provide balanced structure to give great length on the finish. This wine is drinkable now but will develop nicely with a few years of cellar time. While young decanting is highly recommended.
225 Cases Produced
100% Syrah, Estrella Clone
16 Months in French Oak, 45% New
Alcohol: 14.7%
Wine Enthusiast Rating: 85 http://buyingguide.winemag.com/catalog/four-cairn-2009-syrah-napa-valley
Our harvest and fermentation practices remain the same. The goal is to pick our estate grown Syrah at the best possible moment and employ minimal handling at the winery. The fruit is handpicked from the best vineyard rows and fermented as whole berries in small bins. We used gentle manual punch-downs twice a day during fermentation. When dry, we perform a very gentle pressing before being racked to French oak barrels. The wine was aged for 16 months in French oak barrels, 45% new including the new Seguin Moreau Icone Elegance barrel.
Winemaker Tasting Notes
The wine has beautiful aromatics that jump out of the glass with aromas of fresh cut flowers, blackberry, cassis and roasted meats. The wine has a rich velvety texture of pure dark fruit, blackberry and cassis with a touch of pepper. Refined soft tannins provide balanced structure to give great length on the finish. This wine is drinkable now but will develop nicely with a few years of cellar time. While young decanting is highly recommended.
225 Cases Produced
100% Syrah, Estrella Clone
16 Months in French Oak, 45% New
Alcohol: 14.7%
Wine Enthusiast Rating: 85 http://buyingguide.winemag.com/catalog/four-cairn-2009-syrah-napa-valley