May 2006
“”Two thousand four was a very ripe year, and the heat did not subside in late August and early September,” said Eric Sussman. “You had to stay on top of things and move quickly. “Sussman has added a couple of intriguing syrahs to his line-up of wines in 2004, and bottled about 2,600 cases of wine from this vintage. The syrahs get a full 40 to 50 days on their skins, including substantial post-fermentation maceration. Sussman told me he left his 2004 pinots on their primary lees for 16 months, without racking, then assembled them in tank and bottled them the next day.”
–Stephen Tanzer