Elkins Wines - 'Perli Vineyard' - Syrah - Mendocino Ridge, CA - 2021

Satellite's Hot Take

This wine is a dead ringer for Northern Rhône Syrah - our favorite expression of the grape - and something we cannot get enough of.

Blueberry juice, deep spice, a wonderful developing nutty biscotti kiss of complexity. It has a kiss of wild gaminess, savroy and delicately floral - offering a cascading sense of elegance provided by Syrah. It's got it all - at least everything we want from Syrah.

Matt Elkins is making incredible wines - he's the assistant winemaker at legendary Tyler Wines and we're so impressed with his personal project - practically hidden in plain sight!

We are all the privileged to have Matt's wines.

Notes from the Winery/Importer

Harvest began at sunrise on September 17th, 2021. The grapes were partially destemmed and transferred into a stainless steel tank for fermentation. Fermentation began spontaneously and the wine received a combination of punchdowns and pumpovers for 12 days, followed by another 8 days of maceration. The wine was gently pressed and aged for 15 months in neutral 60 gallon oak barrels. The wine was bottled unfiltered and without the addition of any fining or stabilizing additives.

Perli Vineyard is located on a ridge top in the southern portion of Mendocino County just 10 miles from the Pacific Coast. At 2200 feet above sea level, this already cool-climate site experiences cooler temperatures during the day but slightly higher nighttime temperatures, resulting in a cool, consistent growing season and a slightly delayed ripening period. Despite the string of dry years California has had, Perli Vineyard is dry-farmed, which means no external irrigation is used, and the vines rely solely on the rainfall during the winter months for their water.

Vineyard: Perli Vineyard
AVA: Mendocino Ridge
Soil Complex: Yorkville Clay Loam
Varietal(s): 98% Syrah, 2% Viognier
Harvest Date: September 17th, 2021

Stem Inclusion: 45% Whole Cluster
Maturation: Neutral Oak Barrels
Residual Sugar: 0.4g/L
pH: 3.76
Titratable Acidity: 5.7g/L
Alcohol by Volume: 14.2%
Bottling Date: February 7th, 2023
Drinking Window: April 2023-TBD

Notes on the Producer

The Winemaking
”First and foremost, we are making wines that we like to drink. Not only because of how they taste, but also because of how they were made and what they represent. Made using sustainably grown grapes, our wines are made in a way that showcases vintage, varietal, and location. To achieve this, we implement a low-input style of winemaking that lets the fruit do the talking. The wines are then bottled unfiltered, with minimal sulfur, and without the use of fining or stabilizing additives.”
-Matt

Matt graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Viticulture & Enology in 2015. Following harvest internships in South Australia, South Africa, and Napa, he joined the winemaking team at a new, high-tech winery in Napa, California. It did not take long, however, for Matt to get the urge to start making wines that more aligned with his sustainability and low-input ideologies. In 2021, with much encouragement and help from friends and family, he started Elkins Wines.
Kevin’s passion for wine stems from wine culture. With the belief that food and wine bring people together, the possibility of being a part of a small, family business producing small lot, sustainably made wine immediately appealed to him. Kevin assists with all aspects of winemaking during harvest and bottling, and also manages Elkins Wines sales and distribution in Washington state.