Stone Lion Syrah 2020
Vintage Notes
The 2020 vintage in the San Luis Obispo Coast AVA unfolded with a cool and rainy winter, initiating a delayed bud break. The temperate conditions for the rest of the growing season helped to create steady vine development and early summer warmth ensured that the Syrah, typically one of our last to ripen, reached its peak. Harvest spanned the first and third week of October, yielding grapes with a dynamic balance of acidity and ripeness.
Winegrowing
Grapes for this wine came primarily from our Salaal Vineyard located on Biddle Lane. Salaal is known for its rich clay soils and slightly warmer growing conditions. These grapes were complimented by the Lemons and Vines Block located at the base of the Santa Lucia Mountains, a cooler site with rockier soils. This wine is 97% Syrah and 3% Petite Sirah. After destemming and optical sorting, grapes were cold soaked for three days at cooler temperatures before fermentation in an open top stainless steel tank. After fermentation, the wine was aged for 18 months in 100% French oak barrels, 36% new.
Wine Profile
Sight: Opaque, Deep Ruby
Nose: Concentrated dark cherry, blackberry, and plum aromas with notes of charcoal, white pepper, leather, and mint.
Palate: Medium, full bodied with deep flavors of blackberry and plum accented by roasted chestnut, dark roast coffee, and clove.