# Syrah (2022)

- **Producer:** Brij Wines
- **Colour:** red
- **Type:** still
- **Grapes:** Syrah
- **Region:** California, United States
- **Style:** Natural
- **Alcohol:** 13.0%
- **Average price:** €55
- **Vegan:** Yes
- **Contains sulphites:** Yes
- **When to drink:** Now or Later
- **Serving temperature:** 14–16 °C
- **Aromas & flavours:** cherry, plum, blackcurrant, black pepper, violet, lavender, mint, smoke, game, leather, forest floor, mushroom

## About this wine

Brij Wines is a micro-negociant project founded by the acclaimed sommelier, author, and winemaker Rajat 'Raj' Parr. Named in honor of Parr's father, Brij, the label operates alongside Phelan Farm in Cambria, California. This project focuses on expressing the extreme, cold-climate terroirs of the newly established San Luis Obispo (SLO) Coast AVA. The fruit is sourced from exceptional, sustainably and biodynamically farmed sites like the Bassi Vineyard, located less than two miles from the Pacific Ocean, and the Stolo Vineyard in Cambria. Parr's vision with Brij is to challenge the traditional, high-alcohol California Syrah paradigm by crafting low-intervention, cool-climate wines inspired by the classic, savory profiles of the Northern Rhône.

## Interesting facts

- Brij Wines is a personal project of Rajat Parr, named in honor of his father.
- The Bassi Vineyard sits just 1.2 miles from the Pacific Ocean, making it one of California's coolest Syrah sites.
- This wine is crafted with zero punch-downs during its 16-day maceration to prevent over-extraction.
- It is bottled completely unfined and unfiltered with only 2 ppm of sulfur added at bottling.

## Food pairing

This cool-climate Syrah thrives alongside rich, gamey, and savory dishes. Its high natural acidity cuts through the fat of meats like lamb and duck, while its firm, chalky tannins are softened by proteins. The wine's distinctive black olive, cracked pepper, and herbal notes beautifully mirror earthy elements like wild mushrooms, rosemary, and game, creating a highly harmonious pairing experience.

## Wine making process

The winemaking philosophy at Brij Wines is rooted in minimal intervention and traditional methods. For the 2022 Syrah, the grapes underwent 100% whole-cluster (whole bunch) fermentation initiated by native, wild yeasts in open-top wooden fermenters. To avoid over-extraction and maintain the delicate coastal aromatics, the maceration lasted 16 days with zero punch-downs. The grapes were then gently pressed using a manual wooden basket press. The single-vineyard Bassi bottling was aged in neutral 500-liter French oak puncheons, while the SLO Coast blend was aged in large, neutral Stockinger oak foudres, preventing any dominant wood influence. The wine was bottled by gravity without fining or filtration, and only a minimal sulfur addition of approximately 2 ppm was made at bottling.