Griffins Lair Vineyard Syrah
⏳ Drinking Window
2022 - 2030
🍽️ Food & Wine Pairings
Roasted rosemary lamb chops, grilled venison, wild mushroom stew
✨ Technical Specifications
Hailing from the wind-swept Petaluma Gap AVA in Sonoma County, the Griffins Lair Vineyard Syrah is a masterclass in cool-climate California winemaking. Planted in gravelly loam soils, this vineyard is defined by the relentless marine winds and heavy fog that pour through the gap, forcing the Syrah grapes to develop thick skins, low yields, and remarkable structural intensity. Winemaker Morgan Twain-Peterson MW crafts this wine with a nod to the Northern Rhône, frequently employing whole-cluster fermentation to emphasize the site's naturally savory, peppery, and herbal characteristics. The wine is typically aged in French oak barrels, only a small portion of which are new, to preserve the pure expression of the terroir. In the glass, it reveals a dark, brooding profile dominated by cracked black pepper, smoked meats, black olives, and dark brambly fruit, backed by a spine of vibrant acidity and firm, age-worthy tannins.
🍾 About the Producer
Established in 2007 by Morgan Twain-Peterson MW—later joined by partner Chris Cottrell—Bedrock Wine Co. began in a converted chicken coop with an urgent viticultural ethos: preserving California's precious heritage vineyards. The winery works closely with ancient, multi-varietal field blends across diverse terroirs, including volcanic, alluvium, granitic, and decomposed limestone parcels spanning Sonoma Valley, Contra Costa County, and the Central Coast. Central to the estate's identity is the historic Bedrock Vineyard, originally planted in 1854, which achieved Regenerative Organic Certification. Bedrock champions dry farming, minimal intervention, and historic head-trained vines. In the cellar, Twain-Peterson employs spontaneous native yeast fermentation, whole-cluster inclusions, and neutral wood, studiously avoiding chemical adjustments or excessive extraction. Beyond its legendary red heritage bottlings, Bedrock crafts benchmark whites and rosés—including the perfumed Compagni Portis Heirloom White, crystalline Wirz Vineyard Riesling, and artisanal expressions of Bien Nacido Chardonnay and Ode to Lulu Rosé—each presenting remarkable tension, saline minerality, and profound historic authenticity.