Located in the Columbia Gorge AVA, which straddles Oregon and is at the westernmost edge of Washington State's Columbia Valley AVA, Syncline is a limited-edition, small-batch winery that maintains a strong vision of producing world-class wines through innovative winemaking, while also taking into consideration the environment in every aspect of its biodynamic vineyards.
When poured into a glass, the fragrant aroma of garrigue (a group of Mediterranean grassland herbs), black pepper, and ripe plum fills the mouth.
The purity of the fruit shines through with ripe tannins, juicy acidity and subtle hints of pomegranate.
Everything you could want from a delicious Mourvedre is here.
The forces that shaped the geology of Heart of the Hill Vineyard and the Red Mountain region in general were enormous.
The deep bedrock of much of the Columbia River Basin is basalt, formed from large volumes of lava flowed by intense volcanic activity.
On top of the basalt lies a layer of sediment deposited by repeated ancient floods.
On top of the sediments lies a layer of sand and silt formed by years of erosion and weathering which is highly alkaline and rich in calcium carbonate, giving the wines incredible structure and longevity.
All the fruit is hand-harvested and 50% is whole-cluster fermented in open oak vats.
Fermentation was done using wild yeasts, with punchdown, pumpover and foot pigeage.
No fining or additions have been made.
The free-run juice is aged separately in 500L puncheons.
Bottled in June 2023.
A syncline is a geological term that refers to a section of rock where horizontally deposited layers of rock are bent by lateral pressure to form a winding valley.
Owners and winemakers James and Poppy Manton's winery and vineyards are located in the Columbia Gorge AVA, which straddles Oregon and is on the westernmost edge of Washington's Columbia Valley AVA, the largest AVA in the state.
The AVA is split between the rainy western and semi-arid desert regions, and their winery and vineyards are located in the middle.
Their winemaking, which began with just 76 cases in 1999, has remained unchanged ever since, and they have earned a high reputation as a limited production winery, maintaining a strong vision of producing world-class wines through innovative winemaking, while also respecting the environment in every aspect of their biodynamic vineyards.
In order to maintain a close relationship with the barrels and grapes, annual production is limited to 5,000 cases.