2003 Syrah Grapes

2003 Syrah Grapes

Syrah is a red grape variety, grown particularly in the northern Rhone, Languedoc and in Australia (where it is known as Shiraz). When vinified on its own, Syrah can produce top-quality wines, with a peppery, spicy flavour, sometimes smoky, and often long lived. Syrah is often blended with Cabernet Sauvignon to make superb, characterful varietal wine.

Domaine Sainte Rose green harvested some of the Syrah during July 2003 in order to produce low yields of concentrated, full-flavoured fruit. The Syrah was harvested by hand on the 24th of August, a full month earlier than the previous year, when the grapes registered 13.5 Baumé and had an acidity content of 5.7 grams/litre H2S04.

The Syrah was macerated for 1 week in order to extract flavour and colour. This is a significantly short period than the last year due to the abundance of colour and flavour present in the grapes at the time of harvesting. The majority of our Syrah will be oak-aged.

Domaine Sainte Rose will produce three Syrah based products:

La Garrigue- A special blend of Syrah, Grenache and Carignan

Le Soleil du Sud Cabernet Sauvignon / Syrah- A concentrated blend of barrel aged Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah.

Le Pinacle Syrah- A rich and powerful wine created from very ripe Syrah grapes, which is then aged in barrels for 12 months.