TASTING NOTES
The Ethos Syrah represents the ultimate combination of power and softness. The wine offers a rich mouthful of dark brambleberry fruit with hints of chocolate and earth among layers of complexity and depth. Half of the fruit came from our Cold Creek Vineyard and the balance from the Wahluke Slope. Eastern Washington’s soil and climate is such a great match for growing amazing Syrah. Try this wine with a rack of lamb!

• VINTAGE
• A “perfect” ripening season with full crop yields, and restrained sugar levels led to outstanding wines from Washington state’s Columbia Valley in 2008.
• Delayed slightly by cool spring weather and a moderate summer, harvest began 10 days later than normal.
• Warm weather in August provided ideal ripening conditions for grapes across all varietals and harvest was quickly ramped up in order to obtain fruit at the optimum ripeness.
  

• VINEYARDS
• 55% of the Syrah was sourced from our Cold Creek Vineyard. 
• Planted in 1973, the low yielding old vines of Cold Creek produce small clusters and small berries, resulting in intense varietal flavors and deep color.
• The balance of the Syrah was sourced from Stone Tree Vineyard on the Wahluke Slope.
• The Wahluke Slope is an ideal growing region for Rhone varietals and known for producing ripe fruit, yielding wine with intense color and flavor.
• Syrah is well suited to eastern Washington’s long, warm and dry growing season, resulting in ripeness and complexity.
  

• WINEMAKING
• Ripe grapes were destemmed and inoculated with a variety of yeasts to maximize complexity.
• Daily gentle pumpovers were used to extract optimal flavor and color and minimize harsh tannins. The pumpovers can vary by block, tank and day of fermentation. Every ferment is tasted every day to evaluate the evolution of the tannins, modify extraction techniques and find the right moment to drain the wine off of its skins.
• Aged for 20 months in French (50%) and American (13%) oak barrels, 63% new, for added sweetness and depth.