The historic Layne vineyard was first planted in 1973 by Roger and Barrie, and is home to some of Southern Oregon's oldest plantings of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Chardonnay.  We started working with the Laynes in 2004, and were always enamored by the quality of the fruit.  Our Layne Vineyard wines pay homage to this long history and seek to showcase this special site.  The 2017 Cabernet Sauvignon is well structured with notes of currant and anise.  

Traditionally, the Flagship was a barrel selection of our single vineyard Syrah lots where we selected the lot that was most concentrated and would benefit from extended aging in barrel and bottle. This process worked well for the 2006-2009 vintages, but for several years following, we didn’t find a lot that we thought was up to the standards we set for this wine. In 2012, we observed that the 174 clone from the upper block of our Estate vineyard was denser and more concentrated than our other clones, so in 2013, we decided to farm that block especially for Flagship, beginning with a smaller canopy and lighter yield, and then picking at a more advanced stage, once stems were fully lignified. We’ve continued that process ever since. However, despite this extra attention in the vineyard, Flagship Syrah is not made every year. Only in vintages that lend itself to making wines of power and longevity do we make a Syrah under this label. 2018 was a beautiful vintage. There were some fires to the North and East, but the Applegate Valley was largely spared any smokiness. The vintage finished warm and dry and Syrah was harvested before early Fall frosts.

Tasting Notes: Concentrated flavors and depth mark this wine, with a tannin profile that is structured and even throughout. The finish is long, with flavors of cocoa, roasted meat, and plums. 

A limited run of our 2016 Malbec, available as refills for our "ammo cans."  Rich, but with very smooth tannins in the mid-palate.  We have been growing small amounts of Malbec to use in our Arsenal and La Battalla programs.  This year we elected to make a small amount on its own. 
 

 Mae’s Syrah seems to be defined by consistent pure, dark fruit.  As in previous bottlings, there is a natural balance.  The 2014 has a note of Amerena cherry, as well some grilled meat aromas.  Supple and smooth, it is definitely ready to drink now, but should also age gracefully for several years.  

 Mae’s Syrah seems to be defined by consistent pure, dark fruit.  As in previous bottlings, there is a natural balance.  The 2014 has a note of Amerena cherry, as well some grilled meat aromas.  Supple and smooth, it is definitely ready to drink now, but should also age gracefully for several years.  

Winemaker Notes:    The wines are supple, but also fresh and vibrant, with a very pure nose.  All this is the result of very careful handling in the winery, excluding oxygen at every step and treating the wine as gently as possible.    

Mae’s Vineyard is part of our Estate Vineyard, named for our eldest daughter: Margaux Mae.  We planted this vineyard to high quality ENTAV clones in 2006.  Our single vineyard Syrah is generally sourced from clones 877 and 174. 

We make our single vineyard Syrahs by fermenting whole berries in one ton insulated bins, then pressing off near dryness.  They age in a combination of small, new French oak, and larger, more neutral French Oak barrels, racking just once in 18 months.  

Tasting Notes:    Mae’s Syrah seems to be defined by consistent pure, dark fruit.  As in previous bottlings, there is a natural balance.  The 2019 has a note of Amerena cherry, as well some grilled meat aromas.  Supple and smooth, it is definitely ready to drink now, but should also age gracefully for several years.  

Date Planted: 2006

Clone: 174 on 3309

 Mae’s Syrah seems to be defined by consistent pure, dark fruit.  As in previous bottlings, there is a natural balance.  The 2014 has a note of Amerena cherry, as well some grilled meat aromas.  Supple and smooth, it is definitely ready to drink now, but should also age gracefully for several years.  

 A New World version of the French classic “Rhone Blend.” Grenache acts to soften the more tannic Syrah, while Mourvèdre adds backbone and a unique “gamey-ness.” This is a versatile wine capable of accompaniment to many different dishes. Spicy aromas with notes of clove, black pepper and currant.

Amongst the “fighting varietals” there exists a grand “battalla,” as various versions of vinifera compete for the hearts and minds of the populace.  With this bottling, we proudly profess our preference for that alternative Cab, namely the forthright Franc.  No fake fermentations here, we went old school, co-mingling whole clusters of Malbec at crush, and using native yeast. We think that you’ll find that this bottling of Cabernet Franc stands counter to the currant and resists the tyranny of tannin. 

Boom! This is our fruit bomb(a).  Notes of raspberry and cherry accompany a juicy, bright quality.   Our goal with this wine has always been to create an approachable, fruit driven red that we could release early and could be enjoyed with simple, comfort foods like pizza or pasta with fresh tomatoes.

92pts. Wine Enthusiast

This is the 3L version of our popular GSM, a blend of Grenache, Syrah and Mourvedre.  

“4,2-A” is a blend of Syrah from the Fernandes, Layne, Mae’s, Steelhead Run, and Sam’s Valley Vineyards.  Each of these vineyards contributes positively to the blend.  Fernandes provides warm, round fruit while the cooler site of Steelhead Run gives classic aromatics and refreshing acidity.  Our own “Mae’s Vineyard,” gives very pretty fruit, with ample plum and cherry qualities while Layne provides a maturity from old vines.  Lastly, Sam’s Valley Vineyard, by far the warmest site in Southern Oregon, contributes backbone and an underlying leather and spice.