2020 Bywater Syrah

We originally planted 0.3 acres of Syrah as this is one of Ames’ favorite varietals and he wanted to see how it expressed itself at Bell Mountain Vineyard. When we harvested our first vintage in 2014, we were amazed by the layers of complexity and varietal flavors that this block offered. So much so, that we wished we had planted more. The name Bywater is a reference to Chris James’ and Ames Morison’s favorite neighborhood in New Orleans, where they met at Tulane Collage.  

Our 2020 Bywater is the ultimate Medlock Ames Syrah. It's a beautiful, elegant, deep ruby wine with intense aromas of blackberry and red plum fruits with subtilty's of savory meat and white pepper coming through. A rich, warm luxurious palate of blueberry and chocolate to complement the soft but vibrant tannins.  

Vintage 

With half the average rainfall during the winter and spring, there was very minimal vegetative growth. Cooler spring temperatures and a spurt of heavy rain during flowering led to a very light crop. The combination of these both created concentration, depth, and substantial density in the fruit. Several short heat spikes and a smaller crop load created optimal conditions for early ripening. We were fortunate to pick everything early, escaping any smoke damage from the devastating wildfires throughout California.