Gary Archer purchased land in the rolling hills of Russian River just west of Windsor near Sonoma Cutrer winery. This is prime land for Pinot noir and Chardonnay, but has gained a reputation for excellent Syrah as well. The area receives lots of fog because of the Russian River proximity and this leads to the cool days necessary to achieve flavor development through slow ripening that is so important for Pinot (and Syrah). Bacchus Vineyard management has done the farming and my friend Greg Adams has been involved in the vineyard development. Greg took me to the vineyard in ’06 and I quickly committed to taking both Syrah and Pinot from this excellent site. 

 

The vines are all cordon pruned and management has committed to let each winemaker pick each area when appropriate, often picking at night to keep the fruit as cool as possible. The vines seem to be naturally balanced with shoot growth stopping in mid summer so that all the vine energy goes into the fruit. This also helps the vineyard workers as the rows are all netted to stop bird damage. I’ve worked with 3 different Syrah clones and 4 different Pinot selections. My early enthusiasm has been rewarded at the Sonoma County Harvest Fair with a number of Gold Medals for both Syrah and Pinot noir.

 

I haven’t notice big differences between the Syrah clones (although have preferred the Australian clone for its wonderful perfume – really!) and generally blend them together to make the final wine. For the Pinot noir, however, there are bigger differences with the “Pommard” selection giving power and structure while clones 115, 838 and 667 have added spice, perfume and complexity. All selections are kept separate for both wines until blending in summer.