m2 2004 Ridgetop Syrah

Wine Recommendation:
m2 Ridgetop Syrah 2004

Winemaker’s Tasting Notes:
On the palate this wine shows intense blueberry and blackberry flavors along with intriguing notes of smoked meat, caramel, toast and a racy streak of minerality. Soft tannins and smooth acidity make this wine approachable now. A lingering finish makes you come back for another sip.

Winemaking Notes:
The grapes were destemmed and lightly crushed into four small, open-top fermentation bins. After an overnight soak the must was inoculated for fermentation: two bins were given D254 yeast, the other two were inoculated with D80. Punch-downs were performed manually, three to four times a day early in the fermentation, only once a day near the end to reduce extraction of harsh tannins. A traditional style vertical basket press was used to press the wine, then it was barreled down in two new French oak barrels and four neutral French oak barrels. The wine was racked after completion of malolactic fermentation and then racked again only once prior to bottling.

Vineyard Notes:
From the Canterbury Vineyard in Calaveras County, this wine was grown in Block 5, the highest block on the highest ridge in the vineyard. The vineyard is on a peninsula surrounded on three sides by Melones Reservoir and the altitude varies from 1200 feet up to 1500 feet. The vines are Australian Clone One, planted on 110R root stock in 1995.

This section of the vineyard faces west and is steeply terraced. There’s very little organic topsoil here; the soil is compromised mainly of decomposed schist. In some cases holes were drilled into the rock so the vines could be planted. All that rock means root growth is restricted and what little soil is present is well drained. Cooling breezes coming off the lake in the evenings moderate the daytime temperatures. All in all this is a great place to grow grapes of intense fl avor, complexity and color.

Technical Notes:

Appellation:	Calaveras County
Age of Vineyard:	9 years
Harvest:	August 27, 2004
Brix at Harvest:	Average of 26.5
Fermentation:	Small, Open-top Containers, Manual Punchdown, Vertical Basket Press
Yeasts:	D254, D80
Aging:	19 months in French Oak – 33% New, 67% Used
Production:	154 Cases