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Along with Walker Vine Hill Syrah, the Obsidian syrah Vineyard required patience and a detail-oriented approach in the vineyard. Several acres were lost to frost, others were impacted and had to be isolated, this on top of the regular parsing of this vineyard due to the high variability inherent in the site. While the vineyard handled several heat spikes quite well, we did harvest this earlier than ever before. Grapes were separated into several lots based on 2008 vineyard variation that seems to be a result of slope, soil depth, and aspect. This led to production of wines with a surprising amount of difference. After several blending trials it became clear that the already low production (a heart wrenching 6 tons, less than 1 ton an acre!) was going to be cut further because of the lack of performance of one vineyard section in the Knights valley. However, the blend we ARE able to put together is exquisite. The reward for the sweat is more than worth it! Ah Obsidian Syrah: given its location in the Knights valley this should be an easy wine to understand, right? Rocky slopes, warm weather, and old vines should all amount to a big ripe wine (and therefore by some accounts NOT a wine of terroir). Largesse is a fair moniker for the 2008, but it is not all in the mouth feel but rather in the explosive yet pure aromatics that emerge from this wine. And while warm vineyards in Knight’s Valley are at risk of producing juicy, jammy, fruit laden monsters where terroir can indeed be lost; the ‘08 Obsidian syrah is something else. It has intense savory aromas of grilled meat, tobacco, wet stones, and lavender all laid over a foundation of intense blackberry and cherry. So while fruit still seems to be at the core, this is a big wine that is nothing less than exactly what the site “wants” to produce: mineral driven, dense, chewy, savory, and fruity wine. The kitchen sink: or in other words, Obsidian terroir! |
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