This beautiful wine offers a deep garnet color and alluring aromas of black currant and fig, as well as signature cool-climate Syrah layers of spice, espresso, licorice, cocoa, and caramel. On the palate, elegant floral notes of violet and lilac add an energetic lift to the powerful tannins and lush blue and black fruit flavors as the wine glides to a long creamy finish that only gets better as it evolves in the glass.
The fruit was picked by hand as whole clusters and hand-sorted at the winery into 1-ton fermentation bins. Half of the fruit was fermented as 100% whole cluster to emphasize the natural spiciness of a cool-climate Syrah. Following a 3-day cold soak, fermentation was kicked off using yeast to enhance aromatics and produce a healthy fermentation. Punch-downs occurred twice a day to give the cap oxygen and encourage color extraction. The wine was aged for 16 months in 60% new French oak and 40% once-filled barrels and was bottled on February 20th, 2024.
While Syrah can grow in both warm and cool climates, at Clockwise we are fascinated by cool-climate Syrah, which is why we sought out fruit from the Vivio Vineyard in a niche area of Sonoma County called Bennett Valley. Because the geography of the valley creates a bowl that captures and holds fog, it is one of the coolest non-coastal regions of Sonoma County, and one of the latest vineyards to be harvested each year, with the grapes for our 2022 Clockwise Syrah picked on October 5th, 2022.
For more than 35 years, MacRostie has focused on making benchmark Sonoma County Chardonnays and Pinot Noirs. While this focus has allowed us to cultivate a remarkable level of experience, we are wine lovers who also find joy in exploring and discovering new regions and new wines. As a result, several years back, we founded a winery called Clockwise—a name that captures many of the elements that are important to us from a winemaking perspective, including timing, wisdom, and knowledge. Just like at MacRostie, Clockwise is guided by renowned Winemaker Heidi Bridenhagen. We are thrilled to share our debut Syrah from the acclaimed Vivio Vineyard in Bennett Valley.