Syrah, 'Lucero'

Varietal Composition: 100% Syrah
Vine Age: 20 years
Production: 498 cases
Elevage: 13 months in French oak
ABV: 14%

“I’ve been working with Syrah at Kingston since 2003. Since that first vintage, I have been impressed with the potential of the grape on the granitic soils of the vineyard, but also recognized from very early on that the Casablanca climate is cool enough to make Syrah a pretty marginal ripening prospect every year. Because of this, the wine is always the most “serious” of the reds we make at KFV, and although the Lucero is intended to be fun and not too serious, it often seems to be a little moody. Kind of the opposite of fruity and forward, it can be earthy, slightly wild, edgy. Not “safe,” if you get my drift.

As the vines mature, the wines have become more expressive aromatically. More about spice, herbs, meat and flowers (I know that sounds like a strange combination); able, in my opinion, to deliver the goods with less adornment—less new oak, lighter extraction. The better the fruit, the less you need to manipulate it. I am speaking relatively, of course; the vines are still young, and the best wines are still in the future. But we are getting there.” –Byron Kosuge, Consulting Winemaker