2003 Syrah Griffin's Lair Vineyard

Pax Mahle considers his 2003s to be more structured wines than his 2002s, with better flavor development as well."They have a lot of tannins, as the fluctuations in temperature during the growing season resulted in thick skins," he told me, adding that he did his longest elevage to date for this vintage (the last four wines noted below were not yet bottled at the beginning of March).Mahle is also steadily increasing the percentage of whole clusters he uses for fermentation, using the stems for tannic structure, palate weight and "oomph."In 2003, Mahle has managed once again to make a number of hugely rich, high-alcohol wines that almost magically maintain their balance.