Nose

Richly savory bouquet of blue and
black fruits, mingled with brooding notes of crushed herbs, roasted duck, leather, tobacco and black
tea.

Palate

Juicy, polished and mouth filling, this wine’s refined tannins and electric energy recall its
Northern Rhone cousins.

Growing Conditions

: 2014 was the third straight outstanding growing season in a row, following the
excellent 2012 and 2013 vintages. Dry winter and spring conditions limited canopy vigor, and
a warm growing season with a lack of extreme heat spikes resulted in prolonged, even
ripening through harvest. The resulting wines possess great site specificity, depth and
quality.

Clonal Selection: Hermitage, 470

Harvest

Hand-harvested, picked at night.

Bottling

Unfined and unfiltered; bottled January 2016.

Winemaking

 Hand-sorted, cold; 5% whole cluster inclusion
 6-day cold soak, 24 days total maceration
 Spontaneous malolactic fermentation in barrel
 Gentle pump overs and delestage
 Fermented with indigenous yeasts in small, open-top, stainless steel tanks

Aging

Aged 15 months in French oak barrels, 54% new.

Coopers: Francois Frères, Cadus, Remond.

Appearance

Our 2014 Kick Ranch syrah reveals a telltale inky indigo hue.