Claire Hill Casa Syrah 2021

NOTES- Planted in 2001, this dry-farmed Syrah vineyard is situated on a steep slope at 2,100 feet elevation. The vineyard’s terraces wrap around the face of the hillside giving it expositions from the south to the east. Situated above the fog line, the eastern side of the vineyard gets some of the morning sun that lower elevations don’t see until later in the morning once the fog has burned off for the day. True to its native Rhône, there is a pétanque court and olive trees between the terraces of Syrah. 

This wine was bottled in August 2022 but will benefit from several more years of aging or a healthy decanting before serving. It has the acid and tannin structure one would expect of a wine from the Santa Cruz Mountains, with the ageability that comes with it.

Farming is organic, though uncertified given the site’s small size. With the high disease pressure of the Santa Cruz Mountains, farming clean fruit organically is a constant battle. This vineyard is sprayed with stylet oil (a highly purified form of mineral oil) and a kitchen sink’s worth of beneficial bacteria to biologically control mildew. Those include Regalia, Triathlon BA, Actinovate, Sonata and Serenade.