2006 Syrah - Ambassador's Vineyard
Santa Ynez Valley
Vineyard
Ambassador's Vineyard
Harvest Date
October 27
Barrel Aging
18 months
Varietal Composition
Syrah 100%
Final Analysis
Alcohol by Volume 14.7%
TA .67
PH 3.65
Total Production
1,379 cases
Tasting Notes
91 Points - California State Fair
Gold Medal - Critics Challenge Wine Competition
Gold Medal - Orange County Fair Wine Competition
"Highly Recommended" - California Grapevine
Our 2006 Syrah from Ambassador’s Vineyard opens with heady aromas of plum, violets and white pepper. The texture is clean and focused, unfolding with juicy flavors of black cherry, blackberry and vanilla. Hints of graphite follow polished tannins on a long, lingering finish.
Winemaker Chuck Carlson
Ambassador's Vineyard
Ambassador’s Vineyard unfolds along a tall mesa adjacent to our winery. Here, ancient geographic upheaval yielded a unique and exceptional winegrowing environment. The mesa’s level terrain ensures balanced sun exposure, enabling the grapes to achieve cohesive ripeness, while the gravelly loam soil coaxes additional intensity and nuance from the fruit. Cooling breezes from the Santa Barbara coastline provide the final touch, resulting in a richly flavored Syrah with depth and complexity.Winemaking
The 2006 growing season was long and relatively cool, with
warm harvest weather coming just in time for optimal
ripeness. After gentle destemming, the must was cold soaked
for four days prior to fermentation for gentle extraction of
color and flavor. The wine was fermented in small open-top
tanks with daily pumpovers to achieve textural balance and a
supple tannin structure. The pomace was lightly pressed in a
traditional wooden basket press for a soft, even extraction.
The wine was aged for 18 months in French oak barrels, 30
percent of which featured new oak.
