Image. tyrian blue ink and deep sapphire edging

Bouquet. crème de cassis and muddled violets introduce wild mountain blueberries and dried black tea leaves

Palate. focused beginning of cedar cigar box and freshly cut leather intermingle with sultry black currant, soft wildflowers and oak spice with an infinite finish

Good wine is all about good grapes.

And good grapes are only fostered by the most specific of rich soils, and not every soil is best for every type of wine.

Imagine a place with ground so beautiful that is was created specifically, almost ordained, to grow the most premium of Syrah grapes.

That place would be called the Ballard Canyon appellation in Santa Ynez.

And of the vineyards in that perfect place, imagine one with undeniable potential for its most prestigious Syrah grapes that Robert Parker himself equated it to the Grand cru vineyards of the old country.

That place would be called Larner Vineyard.

And lastly imagine a masterful winemaker thoughtfully transforming those grapes with the utmost care to not adulterate all of the hard work from decades in the dirt with modern, overpowering and masking winemaking techniques.

Such slow, meticulous and almost reverent labor would taste like our 2012 Double Bond Syrah.