Edmund St. John, Fenaughty Vineyard Syrah 2012, El Dorado County, California

Tasting Note: An earthy syrah with herbaceous, savory and lilac-and-dried flower notes.

Purple in color, this wine has a nose of forest floor along with musty, restrained raspberry and black plum.

On the palate the dry, medium-bodied syrah has medium-plus acidity with some light vanilla notes along with smoke and tar.

There is also tart blackberry and plum fruit with a backbone of medium-plus acidity.

Bottle Note: In 1987 a wine grower from a venerable domaine in Southern France visited our cellar and tasted a number of wines from the harvest just past. When he came to the one from my favorite vineyard his response was dramatic; he raised his nose from the glass, slowly rolling his eyes upward in reverie, he sighed and whispered, “la terre parle” (the earth speaks). If I have done well, when you taste this wine you may be similarly affected; this is a voice one longs to hear. As a winemaker, for me there is no other voice. -Steve Edmunds.