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Wine Details
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Having just recently stepped up to the tractor's seat is my brother, George Martinelli. He is fourth in the familial line to join in caretaking our family's farm. In the year 2000 he planted two acres of Syrah on the old apple ranch. George named the new Syrah block after his firstborn daughter, Gianna Marie, for whom also a spot on the tractor seat has been reserved (I could be Scarlett O'Hara in a pinch, but might as well leave the dusty work for the younger generation). Syrah is a new grape varietal for our family and George has learned how labor intensive it can be because Syrah vines have the inherent longing to grow very aggressively, creating jungle, jungle, jungle. Despite the galloping meaty flavors of Syrah, it is even more finicky than Pinot Noir, as it is very susceptible to soil deficiencies and dehydration during hot spells. George tries everything he can with Syrah to "shrink its head" to make it believe that it is a Pinot Noir vine instead. A year long effort goes into a constant arm wrestling match against the plant’s relentless vigor, with canopy management, pruning, suckering, thinning, dropping crop, and regulating moisture content in the soil by planting a crop cover of red clover.
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