2004 Syrah

First note: “Whoa, that’s good.” This is a deep, rich syrah, packed with detail and dimension from beginning to end. Spiced and macerated black currant, black cherry and plum fruit is permeated by cloves, sandalwood and licorice and hints of blueberries ‘n’ cream, vanilla and bittersweet chocolate. The texture is robust, the oak polished and burnished, the tannins dense and chewy; the finish brings up more spice and elements of briers and brambles, though nothing austere, nothing outside the protocol. The Renaissance Syrah 2004 is made in an old-fashioned manner; the yeast is natural, and the grapes are fermented in open-top containers and the mass of skins that floats on top of the fermenting juice is punched down by hand. The wine ages 26 months in barrels and puncheons that are one to six-years-old; the wine see NO new oak. No sulfur dioxide is added during the maturing process. Production is 153 cases. Drink now through 2015 or ’16. Well-worth tracking down, as are all these releases from Renaissance Vineyard & Winery.