Solas Vineyard Syrah

“Solas” is a Gaelic word meaning comfort, and is the name given to one of the oldest Syrah vineyards in Sonoma County. Paul and Lynn O’Neill own and farm the Solas vineyard in the rolling hills between Sebastopol and Healdsburg at the edge of the Russian River Valley. This site was originally planted to wine grapes in the 1920s, then was converted to apples, and then to olives before eventually returning to Syrah grapes in 1992. Solas occupies a magic location for growing Syrah with its well-drained, sandy goldridge soils and abundant sunlight during the growing season. The warmest of our Syrah sites, Solas yields thick-skinned fruit that is intensely dark and concentrated with a blueish purple hue. The juice from this gorgeous fruit stains everything it comes in contact with in the cellar. The vineyard is broken up into several blocks with several different clonal selections represented including; Durell, 470, 877 and Alban. The variety of genetic material on the property helps to add layers of different flavor and complexity to the resulting wine. Solas forms the backbone of our Sonoma Coast appellation Syrah and we are fortunate to work with such pristine fruit, year in and year out.

Elevation: 120’
Clone/Selection: 470/174/Durell/Alban
Soils: Goldridge Series; Fine Sandy
Vine Density: 6’x8’
Farming: Organic
Planted: Originally Planted 1992-1997