2004 Clos Mimi McGinley Vineyard

I am proud to announce the release of Clos Mimi's newest single vineyard wine, the 2004 "mcginley vineyard" Syrah. For most Syrah connoisseurs the term "La La" refers to one of Marcel and Philippe GUIGAL's single vineyard Côte Roties, La Mouline, La Landonne or La Turque. For me the double female articles conjure up a sacred temple tirelessly carved out of 45+ degree slopes (e.g. La Landonne has a 63-degree slope according to Robert Parker's Wines of the Rhone Valley) above Ampuis and the Rhone River. Thus, it is perfectly clear why Messieurs GUIGAL's La Landonne is my Mount Everest. My quest to handcraft classic "monocépage" Syrah from family-owned vineyards has led me to McGinley Vineyard in Santa Barbara County. This magnificent property was purchased by Mr. and Mrs. Jack McGinley in 2006. This immaculate vineyard was planted by Jeff Newton. In my mind Jeff is the finest vineyard manager in Santa Barbara County. Jeff and his associates farm McGinley Vineyard with the finest hand labor crews and machinery. Jeff also farms Clos Mimi's block without any herbicides or fertilizers. Five years ago Jeff sold me on the great "terroir" of McGinley Vineyard. The vineyard is strewn with red chert, yellow chert and blue-green serpentine ranging in size from baseballs to footballs. Chert is a hard, dense sedimentary rock composed of fine-grained silica. Red or yellow quartz chert contains iron ore and iron oxides. Similar ferrous geology can be found in Côte Rotie. Serpentine is a metamorphic rock composed of alkaline magnesium-rich silicates. Soils derived from serpentine tend to inhibit plant growth due to low levels of potassium and phosphorous as well as a low calcium to magnesium ratio. I believe the serpentine content in the soil at McGinley Vineyard reduces vine vigor and yields naturally. I also believe the sheer quantity of serpent-colored rocks throughout the soil profile adds a pronounced minerality to the wine.

A 2.07-acre block at McGinley Vineyard (previously called Westerly Vineyard) yielded Clos Mimi with 3.08 tons of Syrah (1.49 tons per acre) in 2004. The grapes were 100% hand harvested at a staggering 30.3 degrees Brix and 3.86 pH on the 11th of September (a "fruit day" according to Maria Thun's Biodynamic Calendar)! On the 4th of September the grapes measured 26.4 degrees Brix. Therefore sugar levels in Clos Mimi's block jumped almost 4 Brix in 7 days! Per tradition the grapes were 100% destemmed and 100% treaded by foot. The wine was fermented with 100% indigenous yeasts. No water. No yeast nutrients. No enzymes. No tartaric acid. No grape concentrates. No "saignées" or bleeding the tank to concentrate the solids. No pumps from the vineyard to the bottle. The wine was macerated for 47 days, or more importantly, two full moons after harvest. No press wine. Malolactic fermentation was performed in barrel without inoculation. In celebration of the summer solstice, the barrels were racked barrel-to-barrel on the 22nd of June 2005. Thanks to its superripe tannins, indigenous yeast fermentation, extended maceration and extended barrel aging, the alcohol content of the 2004 "mcginley vineyard" marries perfectly with the residual sugar content. Identical to the 2003 "westerly vineyard," and per tradition with GUIGAL's La Landonne, this wine was aged a full 42 months in 100% new Seguin Moreau Tronçais 205-liter barrels. No fining. No filtration. 100% bottled by hand via gravity. Alcohol content is 18.5%. Residual sugar is 18g/L. 100% Syrah. Total production is 133 cases.