Ageworthy and expressive, Dehlinger Syrahs remain a favorite of the Dehlinger family and our winemaking team nearly three decades after we grafted a small portion of our vineyard to the variety in 1990.

Our three acres of Syrah thrive on their hillside location. The lush growth and pendulous clusters of these vines attest to how well the grape adapts to growing in the Russian River Valley: the region’s cooling fog helps the variety retain a spicy, complex character, while the morning sun allows the grape to achieve ripeness and flavor.

In the cellar, our Syrah is fermented in open-top tanks and punched down to extract the maximum character of the grape. Thereafter, the wine develops slowly over two years and is aged in large 132-gallon French oak puncheons. Twice the volume of a standard barrel, the puncheons permit a longer, slower maturation. They also create a more delicate oak profile which showcases the varietal power of our wines. With this treatment, our Syrah retains the variety’s flavor potential, which unfurls and evolves over time.

We produce two Syrahs from our estate annually: Goldridge Syrah and Altamont Syrah, which both pay homage to the two soil types that traverse our property. Periodically, the east-facing portion of the vineyard is showcased and bottled separately as the Reserve-level East Face Syrah, a particularly concentrated bottling named for the driest sections of the block where the grapes are grown.