Barnard Griffin Syrah Port

Description

Sensory Note A pedal-to-the metal Washington Port delivering tiers of jazzy blueberry, plum and orange flavors. Rich and concentrated with a subtle note of raspberry chocolate. This is what Barnard Griffin Port is all about fruity, accessible and delicious! – Rob Griffin, Proprietor-WinemakerVintage Most growing seasons in Washington follow a fairly predictable pattern. They begin with a warm or sometimes not so warm spring, followed by a sunny summer with varying degrees of hot, and culminate in a fall of varying coolness. Its the subtle variation of spring warmth, summers blazing heat, and autumns polite warmth that define fruit ripeness and acid levels. Then theres 2010. 2010 started with a spring so cold that lawns didnt grow and green peas refused to sprout. Grapes, it seemed, barely stood a chance, particularly after a shocking freeze on October 10th of 2009. The summer was similarly cool and heat units our way of keeping score lagged perilously behind comfortable levels. By mid-summer, it was very clear that this was at best a very cool season, and at worst, one of apocalyptic coldness; winemaking nerves were raw! Those few of us who remember vintages like 1977 and a few from the early 80s were out shopping for insulated rubber boots and arctic anoraks in preparation for frozen misery. We old-timers also remembered that these cold historic vintages produced some very exciting wines that defined the style of Washington for decades to come. 2010 harvest started more than two weeks behind a typical vintage and fruit acids were uniformly high. As luck would have it, the autumn lingered with warm and temperate weather. Had we had a repeat of 09s early freeze, all bets would have been off. But nature was very kind. The positive effect of such cool weather is enhanced varietal character and more moderate alcohols. Reds were generally fully colored with more moderate sugars than any harvest in recent history. The result is wines with flavor and finesse rather than simple alcoholic power. Our last picking date was November 11 for late Red Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon, ending a very atypical but outstanding season. R.G.Winemaking Pumpovers 2-3 times daily; unaged grape brandy added and pressed at 10-12% sugar; peak fermentation temperature 85 degrees. – Barnard Griffin