Joseph Phelps Vineyards: 2001 Napa Valley Syrah

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BLEND & GRAPE SOURCES:
100% Napa Syrah from estate-grown grapes (70%) and independent growers (30%).

HARVEST DATE: September 28 - October 12, 2001.

WINEMAKING DATA:
Grapes were harvested at an average 25.2º Brix, fermented in stainless steel tanks, then aged 19 months in a combination of two-to-three-year-old French oak barrels (70%), and new French oak (30%). The wine was subsequently blended and bottled on May 27, 2003.

The 2001 Syrah has an inky color, with hints of tobacco, cedar and richly braised game on the nose. Beautifully balanced flavors of white pepper and spice give way to firm, age-worthy tannins on a long, smooth finish.

The 2001 vintage produced extremely balanced, concentrated and flavorful fruit with generous yields, despite a variable growing season usually associated with less successful years.

A warm spring resulted in early budbreak, followed by a few days of freezing temperatures which caused some detrimental frost in early April (a natural thinning!). Prior to flowering, record high temperatures in early May caused rapid vine growth, and maturation was further accelerated by heat spikes in early June. Finally, mild temperatures in July and August provided ideal growing and ripening conditions and allowed vines to recover from their growth spurt in the spring.

Harvest began at the beginning of September with Sauvignon Blanc. Some of the early-maturing red varieties were harvested on September 10th with fully developed flavors and tannins. The mild temperatures which followed allowed further hang time and flavor development for the later-maturing Cabernet Sauvignon. Finally, the advent of hot, dry weather which maintained its grip through most of October afforded even the most stubborn vineyards a chance to ripen and produce some of their best fruit since 1997.