Desire Lines “Sky Vineyard” Syrah '22

Desire Lines is the work of Cody and Emily Rasmussen, a husband-and-wife team who moved to California from the Midwest in 2011. In 2013, Cody started working as assistant winemaker at Bedrock Wine Co. (where he is now head winemaker), and a few years later they made their first wine, establishing Desire Lines.

Working with carefully farmed vineyards throughout Northern California, an area that is home to a stunningly rich assortment of historically significant and distinctive vineyards, they produce singular wines of character that are faithful to their vineyard sources and absolutely delicious.

In the cellar, they practice native yeast fermentations, often using whole cluster in many of the red wines, and age the wines in mostly neutral oak and large-format barrels.

Among all Napa’s mountains, Mount Veeder is closest to the Bay and shares a border with Carneros, making it the coolest of them. The terrain is craggy, so most vineyards are small, and the soil is rocky and shallow. Much of Mount Veeder is unplantable because of limited roads as well. The area is known for its variations in exposure and its many microclimates, so many varieties thrive here, and Syrah is firmly among them. 

The Sky vineyard is dry farmed and the pruning is restrictive, which contributes to the concentration of the wines. The freshness and balance of the wines can be attributed partly to the natural spring flowing from the base of Upper Block and the elevation of the site, which is near the top of Mt. Veeder. The 2022 Desire Lines Syrah from this vineyard shows red and dark cherries, pine, dried herbs, and a savory character, with fine-grained tannins and a long finish kept fresh by that Mt. Veeder acidity.

Drink now, but hold some bottles through 2037.