History
A modern planting rather than a historic one, established in the early 2010s by Jack Leahy on the upper slopes of Bennett Peak. Chris Bowland manages the vineyard. Carlisle Winery has been the site's defining customer, bottling Syrah and Mourvedre designates from it. Sources differ on the exact planting year, with the winery giving 2013 and the local growers' association 2012.
The Site
Six and a half acres at 1,200 feet, just below the top of Bennett Peak in the Bennett Valley AVA, which Carlisle describes as the highest altitude vineyard in the appellation. The soil is Goulding clay loam, and basaltic rock had to be removed from the site before the vines went in. Rows are planted on four by seven spacing.
Vines and Blocks
Syrah in the ENTAV 470 selection and Mourvedre clone 369 are the blocks the wines are named for, but the planting is not exclusively those two: Grenache in three clones occupies 3.7 of the 6.5 acres, which is more than half the vineyard.
The Wines
Carlisle's Radiant Ridge Syrah and Mourvedre are the site's designates, cool-grown and peppery rather than broad, with the acidity that altitude in Bennett Valley tends to hold.