After 16 years as winemaker at Australia's most iconic wine, Penfolds Grange, John Duvall came to the Columbia Valley in 2003 and created his life's work, the Syrah Sequel.
An expressive wine that displays great varietal characteristics.
It has layered aromas and flavors of wild blackberry, crushed rock, cassis, charcuterie and oak spice.
The rich mid-palate has an attractive viscosity, while the balanced acidity gives it a lively impression, leading to a beautiful finish with hints of violet.
Three distinct Columbia Valley growing regions each contribute approximately one-third of the blend, producing a complex, multi-layered wine.
The cooler climate of Bushey Vineyards in the Yakima Valley allows the bright, elegant characteristics of the Syrah grown here to shine through.
Bacchus Vineyard Block 5A Syrah, planted in 1994, provides vibrant color and aromas.
And Red Mountain Syrah gives the wine impressive structure and backbone.
A late start to spring led to a warm start to the 2018 growing season.
Temperatures remained fairly warm throughout the summer, but the weather eased considerably in early September, allowing for longer hang times.
Harvest conditions were ideal, with the Columbia Valley settling into a pattern of warm days and cool nights, allowing the grapes to ripen sufficiently without losing acidity.
The result is a well-balanced, concentrated wine with attractive texture and richness.
Carefully selected and hand-harvested grapes undergo various fermentation methods to produce a wide range of flavours.
One-third of the Syrah is fermented whole-cluster to increase viscosity and enhance the three-dimensional flavor.
Several lots were fermented using a technique commonly used in Australia called "rack and return", in which the juice is drained from the tank twice a day and gently placed back on the delicate grape skins to extract color and aromas without imparting harsh tannins, and a small number of grapes underwent submerged fermentation with the caps submerged to improve structure and mouthfeel.
The wine then ages for 18 months in French oak (65% new).
Long Shadows was founded in 2002 by Washington wine visionary Allen Shoop.
Shoop served as President and CEO of Chateau Ste. Michelle from 1984 to 2000, where he developed international winemaking partnerships with world-renowned Italian Piero Antinori (Col Solare) and German Dr. Loosen (Eroica Riesling).
Building on this success, Long Shadows was established to bring an elite group of great winemakers from the world's major wine regions to Washington State to create world-class wines that showcase the excellence of Washington State's Columbia Valley grape growing region.
Each winemaker partners individually with Shoop and the winery's resident winemaker, Jill Nicoll, to create their own quintessential, top-quality wine using their own vinification techniques and bottled in their own unique style.