Vinification notes:
Three different blocks of fruit were fermented separately all using Melody yeast strain pitched the day after picking. All were fermented in closed-top fermenters with two one-hour pumpovers each day. Our oldest block was allowed an extra ten days on the skins for optimal extraction, the others were pressed at dryness after 14 day fermentations.

Sensory Notes:
This wine starts with a quintessential meaty, earthy, and dark fruit bouquet; flavors of plums, dark cherries, mocha, licorice and vanilla all perform a lively balancing act. A rich structure with firm tannins rounds out the finish.

Vineyard Notes:
Lily Hill syrah hugs a steep hillside on our winery estate in the northern Dry Creek Valley. Syrah is grown on two blocks of thin, clay-rich soil at the top of our hill, and grenache is from gnarly, century-old vines that thrive in the same conditions. This vineyard is in the hottest end of the valley, and this heat produces wines of full fruit flavor.

Vintage Synopsis:
The 2005 harvest was a banner year for many wine regions, with the Dry Creek Valley being no exception. A long, cool growing climate allowed the grapes to hang until their optimal ripeness. This resulted in more intense flavors as well as a leisurely crush that extended fully into November.

Strictly limited production. Only 520 cases produced.