2012 Stratus Syrah

With Syrah being a varietal that we have always felt performs extremely well in our vineyard, we were particularly delighted with the fruit we harvested in late October. In the glass, the wine’s time in 40% new French oak complements the ripe Syrah fruit profile. The nose is a combination of cracked black pepper on black raspberries, with pretty floral notes and warm wood spice. The palate shows firm acidity with now softened but still gripping tannins, leading to a long, peppery finish.

The winter of 2012 was warmer and drier than in previous years with vine development starting very early in the season. An extremely warm March was followed by significantly cooler temperatures and frost in April. While devastating for many of our neighbouring tender fruit growers, our vineyard buds had not yet “woken” to spring when the frosts hit and the crop thankfully did not suffer. Bud break did occur about 16 days earlier than usual which extended the length of the growing season. Summer temperatures continued to be above average with July being much drier than normal. Overall, the hot, dry climate resulted in the best growing season for Stratus to date and provided flawless fruit for an impressive lineup of wines.