Singer Baker Lane Estate, Syrah, Sonoma Coast, California, 2021

Overview of the Wine
Located in the Sebastopol Hills of West Sonoma County, the Baker Lane Estate is a cool-weather, west facing site with undulating hillside terrain. The Baker Lane Estate vineyards are devoted exclusively to the northern Rhône Valley varieties of Syrah and Viognier.

In 2002 Sebastopol was already well into its transition from a region famous for apples to a vanguard perch in the quest for cooler grape-growing terroir. We loved the area for its beauty and slightly out of the way-ness, but could we grow Syrah of great distinction here? The truth is, I didn’t know.

What I had come to understand, though, from years of visiting many of the world’s great wine regions, is that the world’s best wines were made from grapes that necessarily struggled to achieve maturity. I came to understand that the best grape choice (memorialized repeatedly by the emphatically chosen cultivars for all great viticultural zones) is the one that just barely gets ripe. In doing so, the grapes enjoy more time on the vine developing complexity, color, structure, balance and depth of flavor while avoiding over-ripeness and declining acidity.

Grape / Blend
93% Syrah, 7% Viognier

Origin
Sonoma, California

Winemaker's Tasting Notes
The 2021 Singer Syrah has a lush violet and ruby glinted robe that greets the eye while aromas of deep berry and dark plum scents land on the nose immediately after opening. With modest aeration, ravishing layers of black fruits and a compelling set of integrated spice notes (black and red peppercorns, hints of clove) fill out the bouquet to dramatic effect. This is the most expressive and mouth-filling wine that has ever come from our Singer Estate vines, yet it remains a finely balanced expression of cool climate Syrah with its well-knitted framework of acid and lush tannins. We believe that it’s structured suitably to age for 8-12 years easily, but to ignore its broad appeal at the moment is to ignore a delicious bird in the hand. Will pair superbly with many robustly flavored dishes: think Thai, Vietnamese, savory game preparations and a juicy hamburger too.
 

Product size: 750ml