2005 Little Vineyards Syrah, Sonoma Valley

Little Vineyards is situated in the heart of Sonoma Valley, the 17.5 acre Family Wstate Vineyard is nestled in the Valley of the Moon between the sunbathed rocky slopes of the Mayacamas and Sonoma Mountain ranges. The vineyard is cooled in the early mornings and late evenings by coastal fog from the San Francisco Bay. As the fog retreats, the vineyard is warmed by rising daytime temperatures and underground hot springs. The vineyard soil is gravelly, well drained and descends downward to meet the Sonoma Creek.

Body: medium to full body.
Color: Dark, rich red.
Aromas: Violet, blackberry, black cherries.

Appellation: Sonoma Valley
Fruit Source: Estate Grown
Varietal: 98% Syrah
Production: 284 Cases
Alcohol: 15.1 %

The 2005 syrah put Little Vineyards on the map. It was there first wine to receive a double gold medal, along with a silver and bronze. It has become there most prestigous and popular wine.
Double Gold Medal - 2008 San Francisco International Wine Competition
Gold Medal - 2008 Dallas Wine Competition

Gold Medal - 2008 Grand Harvest Awards
Silver Medal - 2007 Sonoma County Harvest Fair

Tasting notes: 
Bright boysenberry & black cherry fruit with spicy 
lingering finish. Sophisticated yet accessible in character. Smooth texture.

Vinification: 
Grapes picked in early October 2005, gravity crushed &
 destemmed into small open top fermenters. Aged in 
mostly French Oak for approximately 17 months. Bottled unfiltered in early May 2007.


Joan and Rich Little aspired to live in Sonoma Valley, raise a family, grow grapes and one day produce premium red wines. In 1996, they purchased a 25 acre property from the Hanford Family in Glen Ellen. Since that time, they have raised four children, restored the property’s century old farmhouse, planted 17 acres of grapes. 

Eventually, Joan and Rich decided to blend their winegrowing expertise with the winemaking expertise of Joan’s brother, Ted Coleman.

In the beginning, they experimented with small lots of wine which received great praise from their family and friends. 

In 2002, Joan and Rich began their efforts to establish Little Vineyards as a small bonded winery producing no more than 2500 cases a year.

North Bay Bohemian Winery of the Week
By James Knight (2.20.08)
"Glen Ellen's most notable rock 'n' roll winery is surely B.R. Cohn, but on any given Friday, the tunes are cranking way past his olive trees at the neighbor's place. That's when Little Vineyards' owner Rich Little gets out his Chapman Stick in the corner of the tasting room and noodles out a few licks. Off the beaten track, Little Vineyards is a refrain on the small, family winery started in the late 1990s, with a few surprises, like its own recording studio and a house wine with its own companion CD.... The 2005 Syrah is a more gothic number, rumbling with dry dark fruit of the grape."