“Piedrasassi cultivates grapes and grain in the Central Coast of California. Through our bread and wine, we endeavour to tell the stories of this unique region and its people. In the vineyards and fields, our family’s winery and bakery, we approach our work with a reverence for place and a responsible hand - we seek to celebrate the innate beauty of each harvest.” - Sashi Moorman
Sashi and his wife, Melissa, have been making great, Northern Rhone-style Syrah for a decade, until now selling it only in California, so we are now thrilled to bring their wines, in their very distinctive squat bottle, to Australia.
In the vineyard, the team at Piedrasassi pick a bit earlier than their colleagues to keep alcohol levels in balance with flavour and to preserve the natural acidity of the fruit. In the winery, Moorman employs some whole cluster inclusion, indigenous yeast fermentation, and no sulphur added at fermentation, remaining as natural as possible without compromising the integrity of the wine. Elevage is in 500L barrels to limit the wine’s exposure to oxygen and to minimise the influence of oak. They add the smallest amount of sulphur to the wine at bottling; allowing the aromatics to stay expressive while still protecting the wine during cellaring. The result, in all of these bottlings, is Syrah that shows off the different sites through aromas that bloom and evolve in the glass and tannins that grip and engage the palate.
The 2020 Syrah Rim Rock Vineyard was vinified using about one-third whole clusters. It has a medium ruby-purple colour and broody aromas of blackcurrants, grilled meats, coffee beans, bitter chocolate and mint. The full-bodied palate offers concentrated, powerful fruit, loads of powdery tannins and sparks of juicy acidity that highlight floral perfume on the long finish.”