Sky Vineyards, situated on Mt. Veeder, was founded in 1973 by Lore Olds. Lore purchased the property in 1972 and planted the Zinfandel shortly thereafter. The vineyard is dry farmed and for that reason the winery holds the wine back 2-4 years prior to release. Sky also produces a Syrah, Riesling and Rosé. Lore Olds designs the label for each new vintage. The winery flies under the radar despite selling fruit to Bedrock and becoming a cult favorite on WineBerserkers. The Olds family lost their house and a portion of the vineyard in the 2017 fires and deserve our support.
Dark crimson in color. 14% ABV. Pretty nose of red fruits, licorice and roasted herbs. Medium body with medium acidity. Fresh, yet rustic with enough fruit to make things interesting. Cherry, cranberry, pomegranate and pepper on the palate. Nice length on the finish. Sky wines often lean finesse and elegance over power and this wine is no exception. Best over the next 2-3 years.
My rating: 90 points.
Sky Vineyards does have a mailing list which you can join by emailing skyvineyards@gmail.com. Sky can also be found at retail in a handful of states. Sky ships to California but works with a local warehouse to ship to other locations. The 15 vintage of Sky Syrah is available on the winery website for $35.