Byington Vineyard & Winery

White Wines
	Chardonnay Quenneville Vineyard Reserve, 2007 - $35.00 The vineyard was picked a little earlier this year to make a lower alcohol wine which also resulted in a more acidic style compared to the previous vintage. The grapes were fermented only on native yeasts. It was 100% whole berry pressed then pumped into a chiller tank to drop out any solids in suspension. The juice was then racked into barrels to separate the wine from the grape solids. The wine was sur lees aged with 33% new French Oak for 18 months. The French Oak gives this wine an amazing aroma of vanilla cream with a hint of honeysuckle that carries onto the palette. Even though this wine carries a high acid profile it provides flavors of ripe pear, peach, and honeysuckle. This wine would be a lovely aperitif before dinner.
	Chardonnay Redwood Hill, 2007 - $27.00 The Redwood Hill Chardonnay displays a beautiful vanilla aroma from the French oak and a yeastiness from sur lees aging. I think of the Redwood Hill as a sipping wine, refreshing and elegant all in wine. Read the complete winemaker notes.
	Chardonnay Quenneville Vineyard, 2008 - $27.00 The vineyard is located just East of Summit Road displaying the wonderful Santa Cruz Mountains characteristics. This wine has a fruit aroma of pear mixed with vanilla cream. The 18 months of sur lies aging gives just enough to this wine for a full mouth feel yet not too flabby. The fruit aromas along with a full body makes this wine very food friendly.
	Liage Central Coast, 2008 - $22.00 The pairing of these two varietals is a perfect marriage; Viognier brings a tropical aroma and full mouth feel to your pallet while the Sauvignon Blanc brings acidity for a clean finish on the pallet. The Viognier was fermented in barrels and aged for only 4 months to keep its fresh tropical aroma. The Sauvignon Blanc is fermented in stainless steel and only sees oak for about 1 month just to round out the mouth feel. The Liage is 80% Sauvignon Blanc and 20% Viognier creating a perfect sipping wine on warm Fall evenings. We suggest pairing with any rich seafood dish since the acidity will balance nicely and cleanse your palette.
	Sauvignon Blanc Ventana Vineyard, 2009 - $24.00 Ventana Vineyard in the cool southern reaches of Monterey County, consistently produces Sauvignon Blanc of breeding and intensity. At Byington, we seek to balance a restrained French approach with the precocious New World fruit from this unique vineyard. Barrel-fermentaion and sur lies aging yeild a wine of rich stone-fruit flavors and lively gooseberry aromas. Enjoy now with oyster on the half-shell or cellar to experience the more subtle side of Sauvignon Blanc.
	Viognier California, 2008 - $22.00 Viognier is one of those wine that you do not see much of due to the low acreage planted throughout California. The 2008 Viognier comes from Paso Robles where the very hot summers ripen the berries to perfection. The wine has an aroma of banana and tropical flowers with a crisp acidity that cleanses the palatte. The wine was cellared in 1/3 new French Oak. The mouth feel is round but finishes clean due to the high acid profile. The Viognier was purchased for blending into the Liage but we felt this wine could also stand on it own merits and made a 2008 bottling. With the fuller body yet crisp clean finish this wine pairs perfect with your Spring menus. Try this wine soon and purchase more for the upcoming warm weather since the 170 cases of this wine won't last through Summer.
Red Wines
	Alliage Red Blend, 2006 - $26.00 Alliage has evolved into an elegant sophisticated wine with no pretense. Straight forward aroma of tobacco and green tea initiates the conversation between you and the wine. As you allow the wine to open up and it comes into contact with oxygen, you will notice the wine will evolve into a delicate yet robust Cabernet blend. The flavor profile of this wine is rustic and earthen with a bold Paso Robles style to it, all the while being very silky on the palette. On the finish of this wine you will notice the tannins in your mouth showing its prowess to age well. Aging of the wine will be beneficial for anyone who can wait, as this solid tannin structure will only soften in time tying all the flavors together. Many of you already know Alliage as a consistent table wine that pairs well with any meal you choose to have with it. This vintage marks the 10 year anniversary for Alliage as a wine for Byington, having great success throughout the years we are proud to bring you this wine year in and year out. The past blends on this wine have hailed from as far North as Geyserville in the Alexander Valley of Sonoma, all the way south to Paso Robles, and everything in between. We can only hope that you have enjoyed the journey of this wine as much as we have here at Byington.
	Cabernet Sauvignon Signature, 2004 - $50.00 The Signature is comprised primarily of Cerro Prieto Cabernet with a splash of Chelle Mountain. It is aged in mostly new French oak, giving the wine a sweet vanilla aroma with toast levels enhancing a spicy cinnamon quality that is a perfect compliment to the berry medley on the nose. Read the complete winemaker notes.
	Cabernet Sauvignon Bates Ranch, 2005 - $37.00 The palate is rich and jammy, but the high alcohol and bold tannins belie this wine's youth. The finish on the wine lingers making it very approachable now, so try pairing this wine with your richest, heartiest meals as it can stand up to almost any food. Read the complete winemaker notes.
	Cabernet Sauvignon Reichel Vineyard, 2005 - $32.00 This vineyard designate may sound remarkably familiar, yet somehow different to many of you. That is because Byington has been producing Cabernet Sauvignon from Smith-Reichel since the winery's inception, but we have recently seen a change in the vineyard name. The location is the same, a stunning plot of land, but the Smith half of the Smith-Reichel vineyard team has decided to pursue another venture and parted ways with Mr. Reichel. The Reichel vineyard is located 2000 feet above Sonoma Valley in Geyserville. With a natural spring running out of the ground, rich volcanic soils, and tons of sunshine, it would be hard not to make a great wine out of these grapes. We processed this vintage gently-a chilly three week fermentation for slow extraction of both color and flavor, only one racking, twenty months of barrel age, and no filtering prior bottling. The result is a supple wine with hints of cedar, baking spices, and a touch of blackberry, yet it retains a dense tannic backbone. I would certainly think about letting the Reichel Cab breathe for a bit, or running it through your Vinturi if you are not patient enough to wait. If patience is a virtue you possess leave a touch in the bottle overnight an then try it the next day. You will see that the Reichel Cabernet certainly possesses the ability to age gracefully.
	Cabernet Sauvignon Tarman Ranch Vineyard, 2005 - $30.00 This is a lighter style of Cabernet with a strong tannic backbone. The nose reminds me of walking through the redwoods the morning after a rain - mushrooms, an earthy forest floor aroma, but with a certain freshness. Read the complete winemaker notes.
	Cabernet Sauvignon Hammond-Crossland, 2006 - $24.00 John Crossland has gained much success growing and managing grapes in Paso Robles. He has worked for many renowned grape growers in Napa has been very involved in the California wine industry. Currently John manages thousands of acres in Paso but has taken particular pride in a vineyard he partners with on the East side of Paso Robles. The vineyard is located near his home by the dry bed of the Estella River with the vineyard full of loamy soil and a wild grass field aroma. We have purchased these grapes in the past which have been used for our Alliage blend. The 2006 vintage gave us extra tonnage so we have decided to use them for a vineyard designated debut. The fruit on the nose sits tight with blueberries and fig. Cabernet Sauvignon vineyards in Paso Robles tend to produce big robust wines but this wine is quite the opposite with smooth soft tannins and a long finish. This wine will keep up to 5 years be can still be enjoyed today.
	Merlot Messina, 2006 - $35.00 You will be amazed by the power of intense fruit on the nose; well focused, yet continually evolving in your glass. Flavors of cassis fruit with a slight hint of ginger and nutmeg make Messina Merlot an age-worthy wine. Cellar this wine for some time to come. Read the complete winemaker notes.
	Pinot Noir Estate Vineyard, 2006 - $37.00 The 2006 season offered perfect growing conditions here in the Santa Cruz Mountains. The hot summer days were balanced with the nightly fog layer to yeild grapes with thick skins and full mature flavor. The Estate Vineyard once again produced a wine with a high acid profile and a rich earthy body- showing off the Santa Cruz Mountains in its true style.
	Pinot Noir Rancho Santa Rosa, 2006 - $35.00 The grapes were hand sorted, destemmed and left as whole berries for a three day soak. The fermentation started with native yeasts then finished with a small anount of yeast culture. We barreled the wine in 100% French Oak with 1/3 of the barrels being new oak. This wine is 100% Pomard Clone and truly represents a Pinot Noir that is rustic and earthly with some dark fruits on the nose and palette. The mouthfeel is of concentrated fruit but this wine shows a lighter elegant style of Pinot Noir.
	Pinot Noir Van der Kamp, 2006 - $35.00 The Van der Kamp Vineyard is located on Sonoma Mountain. The vineyard is banked by a mountain side that shades in the evening to rest the sun soaked grapes allowing them to retain all the flavor and aroma given to them fromt he soft nutrious soil. This wine shows an older style with earthy notes in aroma and flavor. It is meduim bodied wine with a nose of voilets and a palatte of dark cherries.
	Syrah Nelson Vineyard, 2006 - $24.00 The Nelson Syrah is a first for us with plans to make future vintages. When you swirl this wine you will get aromas of cigar box and sandalwood along with dark fruit and pepper. The palate follows the nose of this wine with full bodied flavor reminicient of a Rhone in style. We suggest you let it breathe a little and let the flavors in this wine open up even more.
	Zinfandel Hastings Ranch, 2006 - $32.00 At first sip you are struck by a symphony of earth and fruit with a velvety mouth feel. Being so young, the wine has a dry tannic finish that will mellow over time. Enjoy this Zinfandel with everything from barbecue to chocolate. Read the complete winemaker notes.
Rose
	Saignee Estate Vineyard, 2009 - $18.00 The term Saignee refers to the winemakering process of "bleeding off" a portion of juice after only a very short period of contact with the grape skins. The brief skin contact porduces a lovely pink color and the resulting rose wine. Served slightly chilled this wine makes a perfect summertime sipper. This Pinot Noir rose has a beautiful strawberry nose, with a hint of rose.