Baker Lane Vineyards | The Vineyard

2009 Baker Lane Rosé of Syrah, Sonoma Coast
We’ve always been fans of crisply defined, characterful rosés, as their charming versatility is hard to beat. That said we hadn’t expected that 2009’s harvest would yield our inaugural pink wine. The exacting standards that we employ in the vineyards have always been aimed at producing fine red wine.

As each growing season keeps reminding us though, winemaking is first and foremost about farming. As a huge rain event was approaching in early October, we realized that we needed to be proactive to insure the best post storm outcome for the handsome crop of Syrah grapes hanging in our Estate vineyard. This led to the decision to harvest a third of the fruit on the vines. Not only did that strategy create the best post storm circumstances for the remaining grapes, but it provided exceptional material to produce an Estate version of rosé. Picked at 21 degrees, the wine has true rosé lightness and depth of flavor, a rarity for this type of wine in California.

The wine’s brilliant limpid magenta hue hints at the color that our Estate fruit typically imparts to our red wines. Fresh floral notes are accompanied by supple texture on the palate (a product of the wine’s barrel fermentation), and a vibrant acid element that lends freshness and focus.

350 cased produced | 13% alcohol | 10/7/09 harvest date

Item	Price
750 ml	$18.00

12% discount on purchases of 6 or more bottles. 17% discount on purchases of 12 or more bottles. Mix and match ok.

2008 Baker Lane Sonoma Coast Cuvée Syrah, Sonoma Coast
We took over the Ramondo Vineyard (our primary Pinot Noir source) because its Syrah first caught our attention. A friendly fellow winemaker generously introduced us to Sue Ramondo as he proudly presented his version of a Syrah from her vineyard. Experiencing the delicious flavor possibilities of Syrah grown just down the lane from us was an essential early piece of validation of our decision to plant it in our vineyard.

With the 2008 Sonoma Coast Cuvée Syrah, we were able to fully pursue the strategy that was envisioned when we gained control of this site. Using the Ramondo Syrah as a base, we augmented it with barrels selected from our Estate production. Our aim was to add length and breadth to the ample grapey expression of the Ramondo fruit. The resulting blend includes 40% Estate wine, an outcome that clearly played to the strength of each bottling.

We barrel aged the wine 12 months, 10% in new Rousseau puncheons, the balance in older, similarly large barrels. A deep purple robe, and a lush chewy berry expression meets the eyes and nose. On the palate, ample fruit depth and well-integrated tannins makes for a user friendly, mouth filling Syrah expression, yet one that with the balance and structure to allow it to evolve for several years.

300 cases produced | 14.1% alcohol | 10/10/08 and 10/15/08 harvest dates

Item	Price
750 ml	$25.00
375 ml	$13.00

12% discount on purchases of 6 or more bottles. 17% discount on purchases of 12 or more bottles. Mix and match ok.

2008 Baker Lane Ramondo Pinot Noir, Sonoma Coast
The 2008 version of this wine bears a considerable family resemblance to our first effort with this vineyard. The telltale aromatics of red berry notes and loamy depth on the palate are now defining themselves as salient elements of the Ramondo terroir. With this vintage we assumed full control of the farming strategy for the vineyard, and that coupled with 1/3 less yield (compared to the 2007 harvest) from the site seems to have given us a wine with a notably greater level of depth and structure. While it has the overall balance and forthrightness to be drinkable in its youth, it seems like a wine that is likely to age well for 5-8 years. The cool climate in this part of the Sonoma Coast enhances the accumulation of ample flavor detail and nuance without imposing high alcohol levels and heavy textures. Forty per cent of the wine was aged in new medium toasted Rousseau and Kadir (a Hungarian cooper) puncheons, lending a modest added note of vanilla, spice and smoke to the bouquet.

445 cases produced | 14.4% alcohol | 9/17/08 and 9/27/08 harvest dates

Item	Price
750 ml	$38.00
375 ml	$20.00

12% discount on purchases of 6 or more bottles. 17% discount on purchases of 12 or more bottles. Mix and match ok.

2007 Baker Lane Sonoma Coast Cuvée Syrah, Sonoma Coast
This wine was produced from 85% Ramondo fruit, with the balance selected from our Estate production. It shows an enticing spicy and high-toned berry expression that emanates from the Ramondo fruit. The Estate fruit component added structure, focus and a note of peppery depth. There is ample internal balance and precise tone here, characteristics that will allow the wine to age gracefully for several years. At the same time, it has a vivid youthful exuberance that makes it a precociously delicious, though still sophisticated, rendering of full-flavored, cool climate Syrah.
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Item	Price
750 ml	$26.00
375 ml	$14.00

12% discount on purchases of 6 or more bottles. 17% discount on purchases of 12 or more bottles. Mix and match ok.

2007 Baker Lane Ramondo Pinot Noir, Sonoma Coast
In the textbook growing conditions that prevailed in 2007, the three clones that comprise the Ramondo Pinot Noir planting produced a sophisticated lattice of amply ripe flavors. The vineyard cropped at a scant 3 tons to the acre leading to a wine with deep garnet/purple color and obvious concentration, texture and depth. The layered fruit expression is vividly Sonoma Coast in character, but the wine's subtle gamey notes add considerable complexity evocative of a global array of Pinot expressions. Well-integrated acidity and tannins provide a sense of balance and structure that pleases now and also promises 3-7 years of improvement in the cellar.
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Item	Price
750 ml	$40.00
375 ml	$21.00
1.5L	$90.00

12% discount on purchases of 6 or more bottles. 17% discount on purchases of 12 or more bottles. Mix and match ok.

2007 Baker Lane Estate Vineyard Syrah, Sonoma Coast
It is hard to not be excited about this third release of our Estate Syrah. The combination of maturing vines, Greg Adams' oversight, and an exceptional growing season has together rendered a new level of quality and distinction for Baker Lane.

The wine's beautiful blue glinted violet robe is consistent with its deep and enduring aromatic presence of berries, violets, spice, chocolate and subtle herb notes. The palate echoes a similar measure of complexity, neatly framed by both crisp and well-integrated tannins and focusing acidity. While the sheer volume of flavor and detail makes this a compelling wine at present, the evident balance and structure suggests an opportunity for further flavor development for a minimum of 7-10 years.
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Item	Price
750 ml	$42.00
375 ml	$22.00
1.5L	$90.00

12% discount on purchases of 6 or more bottles. 17% discount on purchases of 12 or more bottles. Mix and match ok.

A Note About Our Winemaker
Steven Canter brings a lot to the table as a winemaker because his distinct intelligence, curiosity and quest for flavor have led him towards challenging and unconventional life choices. He is a gifted musician who attended Boston’s famed Berklee College of Music (in addition to schooling at Harvard). His life path has shaped his commitment to artisan winemaking. Of equal importance, his rigorous standards and worldly sense of taste have guided him in his quest to produce exceptionally crafted, finely balanced wines.

When he wasn’t playing in bands, Steven was weaving together an extensive wine-driven resumé that included retail and wholesale marketing experience in the Boston area, sommelier duty at the Grand Award winning restaurant Toppers in Nantucket, and eventually winemaking internships on 4 continents. His hands-on winemaking experience included stages at Corte Pavone in Montalcino, Beaumont in South Africa, Deloach in Sonoma, and several years of harvest work at Torbreck in Australia’s Barossa Valley. He has operated Luddite Vineyards, his own winery for the last several years, and he was the winemaker for Davis Bynum and Cahill Winery in 2004 and 2005. Currently he is the winemaker at Quivira Vineyards in Sonoma's Dry Creek appellation.

Of particular value to us is how his broad experience has given him the skills to render wines that express a sense of place. He has been an invaluable collaborator in our effort to capture the unique fruit expression of the Baker Lane Vineyards.

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