Vintage 2009
Varietal 100% Syrah
Appellation Santa Barbara County Vineyard Designation 100 % Hampton Vineyard in Santa Ynez Valley
Acid .676g/100ml.
PH 3.68
Aging 23 months in 50% New French oak
Tasting Notes Opaque purple in color. Over the years, we have found that Hampton grapes consistently have a distinctive peppery intensity that makes a complex Syrah exploding with flavor. We were pleased once again to find our 2009 Hampton Syrah showcasing high acidity, robust tannins, and the wonderful pepper and spice flavors that we have come to love in this wine. On the nose, there are aromas of black cherry, smoked meat, black berry, black pepper, vanilla and nutmeg. With a brisk acidity and bold finish, your palate will be pleased to discovery flavors of black berry, mulberry, smoked meat, dark chocolate, black cherry, vanilla and a touch of oak. With a nice combination of fruit, smoke and pepper, this full-bodied Syrah will settle nicely with age and continue to delight all aspects of your senses from the rich aromas all the way to the nice long, lingering finish.
Gold Medal - San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition
The Hampton Syrah grapes are typically the first Syrah grapes that we pick during harvest. In 2009, we brought these grapes in during the first week of September. Since the Hampton Vineyard is one of the more eastern vineyards in our valley, the grapes tend to ripen at a quicker pace allowing us to pick them slightly early. As always, delicate care is taken when harvesting the grapes from this small 10-acre elite vineyard. And because Dale Hampton knows a thing or two about growing grapes, we are never surprised to find that the Syrah from his vineyard has a wonderfully rich, concentrated flavor.
We hand picked, cluster sorted and destemmed the grapes into a 5 ton open top fermentor where hand puchdowns were performed 2-3 times per day. The juice spent 12 days on skins prior to being pressed into a combination of French (50% new French) and American oak barrels where it was left to age for 23 months. The 2009 Hampton Syrah will age nicely over the next 15 years. Production