Roark - 'Alondra de los Prados Vineyard' - Syrah - Santa Barbara County, CA - 2020

Notes from the Winery/Importer

Production: 70 cases Region: Santa Ynez Valley Vineyard: Alondra de los Prados Breakdown: 100% Syrah Aging: 20 month in neutral oak Alcohol: 13.8% 93 Points - Wine Enthusiast The syrah from Alondra de los Prados is one of my favorite wines to make each year. This little vineyard is always so expressive and each year is a bit, sometimes radically, different. When you stick your nose in the glass of the 2020 you get eucalyptus, lavender and leather. Upon intro to the palate it switches to vintage velvet and firm fruit. Drink this wine slightly chilled with lamb burgers on a cool summer evening and you will be happy.

Notes on the Producer

Making wine is the last step in the growing of grapes, the preservation of the crop, the enological encapsulation of the vintage. Sometimes inspired by the classics and other times the avant garde we strive to make elegantly energetic wines that reflect the vintage, variety, and vineyard.

Growing grapes and making wine is quite the process and we are guided by the following question; is it necessary? Each additional step in the process takes you one step further away from the grapes, further away from the vines, further away from the simplest expression.

Who?
Ryan, Jenn, and Ellis Roark
In 2009 two monumental things occurred, Ryan made his first batch of Roark Wine Co. wine and he met Jenn. In 2016 they had Ellis and if he wants he can be a winemaker.

Our process is guided by nature with the goal being wine made from responsibly farmed vineyards with as little added or taken away as possible.
Many of the grapes used in our fermentations come from vineyards we farm ourselves or in partnership with other growers. These wines are often our proudest work. When we purchase grapes we seek out growers with similar values.
In the cellar our mantra is “naturally made, classically styled.” Only minimal effective amounts of sulfur are used and the wines are neither fined nor filtered. For me this approach is timeless but ever evolving as I continue to explore the world of wine.