Saxum Vineyards Cayucos Ridge Vineyard Syrah, San Luis Obispo Coast, USA 2022
The Cayucos Ridge Vineyard is located in the newly formed San Luis Obispo Coast AVA. It lies 7 miles, as the crow flies, from our winery at James Berry Vineyard and only 4.5 miles from the seaside town of Cayucos. It’s along the ridge-line of the Santa Lucia Mountain range, with an average elevation of 1600 feet and an average rainfall of 35” a year. Dominated by strong winds and its proximity to the cold Pacific make it a difficult spot to grow grapes. We are believers that adversity builds character, so in 2018 we planted 11 acres of the fractured calcareous soils to the Estrella selection of Syrah. The majority of it on its own roots. The wine that comes off these resilient vines is chock full of character. We ferment the fruit with 30-45% stem inclusion, and the wines are dominated by dense tannins and black pepper, with notes of bay laurel. We then age it 33 months on average in mainly 300L barrels with 50% being new French tight grained oak. Never racking off its lees until bottled unfined and unfiltered.
"The second vintage from this cool site just beside the Pacific, the 2022 Cayucos Ridge Vineyard is 100% Syrah, fermented with 43% whole clusters and aged 34 months in 68% new French oak (225-liter and 300-liter barrels). Spicy red and black fruits, California bay, pepper, sandalwood, and sage all emerge from this incredibly complete and complex wine. Medium to full-bodied, it’s layered, pure, and seamless, with ultra-fine tannins, no hard edges, and flawless balance. It's an absolutely magical, singular wine that tops out my scale. I love it today, yet it should have 15-20 years of prime drinking." Jeb Dunnuck 100
