Hartford Court "Outer Limits Vineyard" Syrah 2014, 750ml

The Outer Limits Vineyard Syrah originates from an estate vineyard on a windswept ridge near Annapolis. This cool site, surrounded by redwood forests and located over an hour north of the Russian River, also produces Far Coast Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. Situated four miles from the Pacific Ocean at a 900-foot elevation, the vineyard features Goldridge soils atop older volcanic bedrock, fostering a balance of fruit, complexity, and structure.

Grapes are hand harvested at night, with clusters and berries hand sorted. They undergo a pre-fermentation cold soak, indigenous yeast fermentations in small open-top fermenters, and are aged for 22 months in French oak barrels (48% new). The wine undergoes no fining or filtration.

Tasting Note

Varietally intriguing and compelling in tobacco, clove and blackberry, full-bodied wine is tremendously appealing, with dark, brooding layers of spice and garrigue. Rich and lengthy, it shows plenty of complexity around a supple core of inviting succulence and well-integrated tannin and oak.