2020 Murray Syrah
Tasting notes
Cofermented in traditional Côte Rôtie style, this intensely colored wine opens with aromas of dark berries, orange peel and tar, with a floral top-note from the Viognier. Soft tannins lead to a palate of dark fruit, dominated by blue and black berries, that finishes smoothly with hints of herbs and spice.
Production notes
As much as possible, we take a non-interventionist approach to winemaking. We place great emphasis on vineyard selection, picking, pressing, and blending so that Hightower wines are naturally beautiful and free from pretense. We let the powerful and concentrated fruit from Red Mountain speak for itself. The result is a collection of well-balanced, nuanced wines that reveal something new and interesting each time you open a bottle. We like to think they’re wines with character through and through — in how they were made, how they taste, and in the connections they inspire.
Vineyard
Red Mountain AVA 100%
Mother Block 100%
Jackie Hightower, Tim's mom, moved to Red Mountain shortly after we did. She, being a big fan of Syrah, decided she would plant a couple acres of Syrah with just enough Viognier to allow a Côte-Rôtie style co-fermentation. We affectionately call her vineyard the Mother Block. Like our in Estate Vineyard, rows are canted eleven degrees off of north-south. This orientation more evenly balances the sun exposure on each side of the vine row, increasing the exposure on the east and decreasing it on the west.
Cofermented in traditional Côte Rôtie style, this intensely colored wine opens with aromas of dark berries, orange peel and tar, with a floral top-note from the Viognier. Soft tannins lead to a palate of dark fruit, dominated by blue and black berries, that finishes smoothly with hints of herbs and spice.
Red Mountain AVA 100%
Mother Block 100%
Jackie Hightower, Tim's mom, moved to Red Mountain shortly after we did. She, being a big fan of Syrah, decided she would plant a couple acres of Syrah with just enough Viognier to allow a Côte-Rôtie style co-fermentation. We affectionately call her vineyard the Mother Block. Like our in Estate Vineyard, rows are canted eleven degrees off of north-south. This orientation more evenly balances the sun exposure on each side of the vine row, increasing the exposure on the east and decreasing it on the west.
Tim & Kelly Hightower
Tim and Kelly Hightower founded Hightower Cellars in 1997 in Woodinville, Washington with a simple philosophy: "Get the best grapes and don't screw them up." With their grape supply primarily coming from Red Mountain, the husband and wife co-winemaking team set out to make high quality wine, beginning with their first vintage.
Today Tim and Kelly aim to make wine that lets the powerful, concentrated fruit from Red Mountain speak for itself, producing wine with great character, that’s naturally beautiful and free from pretense. The result is a collection of well-balanced, nuanced wines that reveal something new and interesting each time you open a bottle. We like to think they’re wines with character through and through – in how they were made, how they taste, and in the connections they inspire.
