2004 Syrah, Brookside Vineyard, Napa Valley

With the philosophy deeply ingrained in his psyche that wine is a liquid food, Gary Miller, an accomplished chef, parlayed his career in the food industry to follow his passion...winemaking. Gary has worked for such notable wine producers as La Jota, Martinelli, and Robert Biale. His own brand, Miller Wine Works, is an expression of all the paths Gary's life has taken, from being raised in a rural, Western New York family to becoming a Napa Valley vintner. As a chef, Gary fully understands the necessity of integration and balance when the fruits of the land intermingle with the fruits of one's labor. Who better than a chef-winemaker to bring forth skillfully integrated, well-balanced wine?

Brookside Vineyard is a seven-acre ranch, located between the Carneros and Mt. Veeder appellations. As a result, this vineyard experiences all the advantages of both highly-acclaimed wine grape growing regions. With cool morning and evening maritime influences, coupled with moderate daytime temperatures, these benchmark climatic conditions are extremely suitable for producing extraordinary Syrah. Soil types are alluvial and sandy clay. The three acres of Syrah are on a vertical trellising system, and have a spacing of five by seven feet.

Technical data:

Winemaker Notes:

The 2004 Miller Wine Works Syrah, Brookside Vineyard, Napa Valley virtually leaps out of the glass at you, with a bouquet of dried herbs and brier in tow.  It possesses good weight without being burdensome, and again delivers a dark core of ripe boysenberry and juicy wild blackberries on the palate.  Nuances of pepper and mineral marry seamlessly with a very fine tannin structure that frames the reasonably long finish nicely.  It should continue to develop for another 3 – 5 years easily.

Suggested Retail:                               $40.00