MacLaren Wine

2017 Syrah, Atoosa's Vineyard, Russian River Valley, Sonoma, CA
Availablity

Out of stock

Price:
$52.00
Availablity

Out of stock

APPEARANCE medium ruby with faint hints purple
AROMAS & FLAVORS Black raspberry, blueberry, vanilla bean, clove, anise, pencil shavings, black pepper, violet
PALATE red cherry, smooth and well balanced, medium body, savory finish
FOOD PAIRING SUGGESTIONS Lighter dishes such as grilled salmon with white pepper and herbes de Provence, or grilled flank steak with seasoned fingerling potatoes.
COMPOSITION

100% Syrah

REGION

Russian River Valley, Sonoma, CA

PRODUCTION 220 cases
ALCOHOL 13.5%
AGING POTENTIAL Easy drinking now but will cellar well over the next 7-10 years
ACCOLADES

92 points – Wine Enthusiast

VINEYARD Atoosa's Vineyard
ABOUT THE VINEYARD

This is the last vineyard to be picked most years due to its location west of Santa Rosa in Russian River Valley. The heavy layer of fog helps maintain a fresh wine profile and deep red hue. The vineyard is planted to four different clones of Syrah, which add layers of complexity to the wine.

WINEMAKER NOTES

The vineyard was harvested in late September. The juice was on the skins for 14 days during fermentation prior to being pressed off to tank to begin malolactic fermentation. The wine was racked to 100% French oak barrels before aging for 14 months and bottling unfiltered and unfined.

NO TASTING EVENTS AT THIS TIME.

Winemaker

Steve Law

About the Winemaker

A native Scot, Steve Law followed a wine-lover’s path early on. It took him from Paris, where he began a tech career in his 20s, to many important points on France’s wine map, including Burgundy, Bordeaux, the Loire Valley, and Provence. But it was his wine-tasting forays in the northern Rhône Valley, just south of Lyon, that resulted in Steve’s obsession with Syrah—particularly the sought-after wines of Saint-Joseph and Côte-Rôtie.

One of the Rhône’s most highly respected vignerons, Yves Cuilleron, inspired and befriended him, offering valuable advice during his “newbie” winemaker days. Subsequently, Michael Talty in Dry Creek Valley gave Steve his first winery job in 2006, which led to the debut MacLaren Syrah getting vinified in Talty’s cellar in 2007.

When Steve and his wife (and winemaking muse), Heather, bottled that first wine—an ’07 Dry Creek Valley Syrah—they had their fingers crossed for success with this new endeavor while being realistic about its challenges. They were attaching their name (their Scottish clan’s name, anyway) to an artisan wine project they were passionate about, but with an inexact sense of where a Sonoma County wine brand not based on Pinot Noir, Cabernet, or Zinfandel would find acceptance among wine enthusiasts.

A dozen vintages later, access to fruit from such vineyards has enabled MacLaren Wines to create space for itself among California’s best producers of Syrah—along with its white Rhône counterpart, Viognier. Two other varieties, Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Noir, round out the current portfolio of wines. But it’s through Steve’s single-vineyard Syrahs that his and Heather’s friends and customers have come to understand the “why” of cool-climate Syrah in Sonoma County.

About the Winery
MacLaren Wine
MacLaren Wine is a boutique winery producing cool-climate wines from extraordinary Sonoma County vineyards. Approachable and elegant, the French inspired wines are food friendly and meant to be shared with friends and family. Scottish native Steve Law leads the winemaking at MacLaren Wine and is one of the best Syrah and Viognier producers in Sonoma.
Learn more

You may also like…