Syrah

Generous rains returned to Paso Robles in 2016 with the Gesture Syrah blocks receiving over 22 inches of precipitation prior to budbreak. We saw above average heat summation through the spring which supported healthy vine growth, followed by moderate summer temperatures leading into veraison. Syrah is prone to early sugar accumulation and we saw daily temperatures seesaw between the mid 80s to over 100 degrees, over several 5-day periods in late September and early October. We made each of our two picking decisions to coincide with the cool cycle between heat spikes to best preserve the fresh fruit character of these blocks.