Three Crowns

Named for the golden hills of the Santa Lucia Mountain Range that frames our family-owned San Bernabe Vineyard in Monterey, Diora wines are inspired from “d’Or,” the French phrase meaning “golden” and bestowed on beautiful, sun-filled regions. No effort has been spared along Diora’s 30-year journey from vineyard-to-bottle. The result is an expressive Syrah overflowing with flavor, depth and personality and a devotion to indulgence.

WINEMAKER'S TASTING NOTE

An exceptional expression of our estate San Bernabe Vineyard, Diora Three Crowns Syrah combines the gravitas of a Syrah wine's intensity with the soft, supple tannins of Malbec and the elegant aromatics of Grenache and Viognier. Complex and luxurious, this layered wine unveils commanding aromas of ripe plum, dark red cherries and blueberry. On the palate, velvety tannins set the framework for a full-flavored medley of concentrated black cherry preserves, with a suggestion of rich mocha and brown sugar flavors that linger on the finish.

— James Ewart, Winemaker

WINE VINTAGE REPORT

The 2019 Monterey harvest produced rich wines of excellent quality. The wine growing season started out cool, but mild spring weather brought good bloom. Warm sunny days and cool nights throughout the summer allowed the grapes to gradually ripen. An unexpected heatwave in early September rapidly increased sugar production in some grape varieties, but temperatures dropped back to normal right before harvest. The cool down in temperatures allowed the grapes to catch up to sugar ripeness to produce fully ripe flavors.

SYRAH VITICULTURE

Our Estate-bottled Three Crowns Syrah is crafted from grapes grown on our family-owned San Bernabe Vineyard. About one-third of this wine comes from the original Syrah grape block planted in 1991 (Block 25). It is an ancient stabilized sand dune now fully mature and in balance; it produces small concentrated berries conveying ripe, plum fruit flavors. Almost one-quarter comes from a newer Syrah grape block (45A) located in the middle of the vineyard bringing notes of blackberries and tannins that add length to the finish. The balance of the wine grapes comes from block 39A, one of the newest blocks planted with Syrah grape clone 470 to continue in our effort to push the envelope and make the best wine we can from this vineyard. Clone 470 produces high quality fruit and tends to ripen later bringing intensely dark licorice fruit characters with a hint of white pepper. All of these grape blocks are on some of the sandiest sites at San Bernabe, perfect for keeping this notoriously vigorous variety in check for intensely concentrated wines.

WINEMAKING

Upon arrival at the winery, the Syrah grapes were gently destemmed into small open top stainless steel tanks where they were pumped over and punched down daily to obtain maximum flavor and concentration. Here the fermentation began, and the fermenters reached a high of 85°F, to maximize color and flavor extraction. Following fermentation, the wine was pressed directly into barrels where the wine underwent malolactic fermentation before being racked out and blended.

BARREL REGIME

This wine was aged in 67% French oak and 33% American oak of which approximately 30% were new. The new barrels of Taransaud add sweetness to the mid palate and the Seguin Moreau barrels add structure and length to the balanced flavors of this elegant Syrah. The wine spent a total of eighteen months in barrels.

PAIRING

This full-bodied yet elegant wine will pair beautifully with a Moroccan-spiced lamb dish, braised short-ribs, venison stew, or simply with smoked gouda or cheddar cheese.

TECHNICAL NOTES

• Vintage: 2019
• Appellation: San Bernabe Estate Vineyard (78% Syrah, 14.4% Malbec, 3.7% Grenache, 3.7% Viognier)
• Oak: 18 months, 67% French Oak and 33% American (~30% new)
• pH: 3.58
• Total Acid: 0.59g/100ml
• Alcohol: 15.0% by volume
• Cases Produced: 350 (9L)