Las Madres Vineyard is situated on the Sonoma side of Carneros, where the gentle hillsides and temperate climate of the San Pablo Bay are ideal for creating beautiful cool-climate Syrah. The vineyard is owned by John Painter and Jean Gadiot, whose care and attention among the vines, along with the diligence of their vineyard manager Armando, yield truly impressive Syrah. John and Jean named the vineyard for their two mothers ("Las Madres"), Hulda and Esther, each of whom has a dedicated block planted with a specific cutting of Syrah. The Esther block contains the 174 cutting, which is a classic cutting producing wines with traces of meatiness and great complexity. The 300 cutting is less common and offers beautifully layered components of blue fruits and baking spice. The vineyard also has a small number of Viognier vines. This allows us in many harvests to co-ferment our Syrah with a few percent of Viognier in the traditional style of the Northern Rhône. Co-fermenting with just a few percent of Viognier furthers complexity by lifting the aromatics and enhancing delicate floral attributes.