2001 Byron IO Ryan Road Syrah

Byron Vineyards & Winery is in Santa Maria, on California’s Central Coast. It was founded in 1984 by Byron Ken Brown, who had worked at Zaca Mesa for five years before that. The estate became known for Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Blanc and Pinot Gris made from both estate owned vineyards and sourced grapes. In 1990 Robert Mondavi Corp. purchased the nearly 600-acre estate, with Byron Ken Brown staying on a winemaker. Today Jonathan Nagy is winemaker.

Central Coast AVA is a huge wine producing area that extends from Santa Barbara County in the south to San Francisco in the north. With more than 100,000 vineyard acres, it includes parts of six counties near the Pacific Ocean. Nearly 20 smaller AVAs lie within the Central Coast AVA. Central Coast earned appellation status in 1985. Included in the appellation are parts of the counties of Contra Costa, Monterey, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, Santa Clara and Santa Cruz. Nearly every grape varietal grown in California is grown somewhere in the Central Coast AVA, though Chardonnay accounts for nearly 50% of the entire wine grape crop.

This grape is grown in milder climates and produces a medium-to full-bodied wine. It is also known as Shiraz, but should not be confused with Petit Sirah, which was developed by crossing Syrah with Peloursin.

Rhone blend