Bouchaine Bacchus Collection Sonoma Coast Syrah 2004

Pinot is our passion, but once in awhile, a foray into another varietal charms Bouchaine winemaker Michael Richmond and makes him stray from Pinot. Thus was the case when he got his hands on a small planting of Syrah fruit from the Hendricks Rockin' H Vineyard in the Sonoma Coast during the 2004 vintage. This vineyard is a perfect little spot of earth along the gentle bends of the Petaluma River.

What began as a fun little experiment turned into a Pinot-winemaker's fascination in contrasting Syrah with Pinot Noir. Syrahs are often known to be dense, rich wines, and they can be a bit too big and jammy, lacking complexity and seeming one-dimensional. Not so when it's made with a Pinot winemaker's touch. The result is three vintages of Syrahs that retain Pinot Noir's finesse and layers of flavors, while progressively gaining more opulence as Michael Richmond's intrigue with this varietal grows.