The 2012 Syrah Obsidian Vineyard is medium garnet colored with quite an earthy, savory nose, offering notions of dusty soil, spice box, beef jerky and garrigue with a core of mulberries, plum preserves and white pepper plus a waft of potpourri. Medium to full-bodied, it has a rock-solid, chewy frame with background freshness and loads of savory layers, finishing on a compelling mineral note.

For us, identifying a top-notch vineyard is like hearing a great song for the first time. It's immediately identifiable. It has no blue-print for duplication. It won't let go of you. In a word, it is genuine. From these extraordinary vineyards, we produce compelling wines year after year, doing our best to read their cues and allow their terroir to shine. The map below illustrates the depth of our obsession. From the cool-climate, redwood fringed Perli Vineyard in the Mendocino County AVA to a collection of wild sites we love in the Bennett Valley AVA, our journeys across Northern California have been exhaustive ? but they have been so worth it.