Along the Royal Slope, Syrah finds a natural home. Long summer light, cool nights, steady winds, and well-drained loess over basalt help the grape ripen fully while preserving lift and tension. Diverse elevations and exposures let it show many accents: pepper, olive, and florals from cooler benches; darker fruit and spice from warmer slopes. With gentle extraction and thoughtful élevage, the wines carry purity, shape, and length.

Coming from Scarline, Stoneridge, and Thunderstone, each vineyard is perfectly suited to this dynamic variety. The 2022 season began with below-average winter precipitation, followed by hot, windy conditions in late May and early June that produced small berries, compact clusters, and naturally low yields. While early heat pushed sugars ahead of flavor and phenolic development, the long, cool fall allowed flavors to catch up, bringing the fruit into balance and yielding concentrated, finely detailed reds.

All three vineyards were hand-harvested in the early morning and arrived at the winery in pristine condition. Each lot was cluster-sorted, with 20% whole clusters placed in tank first. The remaining 80% was destemmed, berry-sorted, and layered on top. Fermentations were slow and even, followed by more than 30 days of extended maceration. The wine then aged for 21 months in French oak (38% new). After assemblage in tank, it was bottled unfined and unfiltered. Only sixteen barrels were selected, yielding 398 cases.

Four Syrah clones make up the final blend: JP, TC, 887, and 174.