m their website: Nicholson Ranch has a commitment to maintain the health and fertility of the land by using sustainable farming practices. To this end, predominantly natural and organic methods of vineyard management are employed. Rather than spraying insecticides, Ramona Nicholson prefers to work with Nature—the natural rhythms of the Earth—by encouraging raptors, snakes, owls and beneficial insects to thrive.Body: medium to full
Color: violet red
Aromas: blackberries, lavender, sage, rosemary, mint, provencal herbs
Winemaker, Jacqueline Yoakum uses a minimal intervention approach to all her wines, which means that no sulfur is added at the time of crushing, the wine is not inoculated, only indigenous yeasts are used, and malolactic is allowed to occur naturally.
Color: violet red
Aromas: blackberries, lavender, sage, rosemary, mint, provencal herbs
Winemaker, Jacqueline Yoakum uses a minimal intervention approach to all her wines, which means that no sulfur is added at the time of crushing, the wine is not inoculated, only indigenous yeasts are used, and malolactic is allowed to occur naturally.Case production: 623
Ageing: 18 months in French Oak, 25% new
The 2005 cool growing season allowed us to hang the fruit in the upper part of the vineyard until October 18th and in the lower vineyard until October 25th. The greater stem maturity created an opportunity to do more whole cluster experiments, ranging in whole cluster percentages from 0 to 100. With a little less ripeness than years past, this benefited the six different lots from the 12 tons we brought in. All the complexities of fruit and stem are showcased in this wine. The nose begins with blackberries and lavender and ends with sage, rosemary and mint. The palate picks up with a range of dark fruit flavors that are buffered by the stem influence of ripe tannin, Provença
l herbs and black olives.The lightest of the three Syrah bottlings, in color, body and flavor profile, is Las Madres (in Los Carneros sub-AVA), from a vineyard only two miles from Nicholson Ranch. Carneros has become the North Coast’s best kept secret for producing elegant, balanced Syrahs due to the cooler climate and longer hangtime for the grapes.
Eat with: grilled pork tenderloin, roasted root vegetables, applewood bacon, collard greens & pork jus.
Website: http://www.nicholsonranch.com/
