Hop Barn Hill Syrah
The Hop Barn Hill Syrah was planted in 1994 on a rocky slope near the old hop barn where we house our wine making facility and tasting room. This wine is a perfect example of the quality of fruit that young vines can produce when they are farmed properly with the right climate and soil conditions. The grapevines are planted meter by 2 meters apart on an acre and a half, yielding no more than 3 barrels each vintage. The rows are vertically trellised, with the fruit hanging 26 inches above the ground, promoting sunlight for ripening and air movement between the rows to prevent mildew.
In The Press: 2007
"The 2005 Syrah Hop Barn Hill (16.5% alcohol) is a very limited cuvee, only 49 cases, hence the limited notes. Bacon fat notes intermixed with blackberry jam and cassis jump from the glass of this smoky, full-throttle, pedal-to-the-metal, inky/purple-colored wine. Drink it over the next 7-10 years. Kudos to the Martinelli family, one of the great old winemaking families of Northern California.
" - 95+ points, Robert M. Parker, Jr.
"Saturated ruby. Explosively aromatic bouquet encompassed dark berries, black olive, cracked pepper, cured meat and musky floral scents; this is utterly captivating. Lush and seemingly sweet, with intensely concentrated black berry and cassis flavors given depth by tapenade and bitter chocolate, all wrapped in velvety tannins. Finishes on a youthfully tannic note, with a hint of black tea. This carries its 16.3% alcohol effortlessly and is a superb example of syrah, from anywhere." -
Josh Reynolds
Reviews:
2002 Vintage
96 points. Robert M. Parker, Jr.
93 points. Wine Spectator
2000 Vintage
95+ points. Robert M. Parker, Jr.
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 |
The grapes are tasted and then hand selected during harvest
time by owner, Lee Martinelli Sr., and wine maker Helen Turley. The berries
undergo a long cool fermentation process, are fermented with wild yeast, and
rest in 75% new French oak for 10 months before bottling. This handcrafted
wine is unfined, unfiltered, neither cold nor heat stabilized and contains
naturally occurring sediment. Enjoy!