THREE CR OWNS
20 12 S I NG LE V I NEY ARD RED W I NE
Inspired by the signature golden hills that frame the landscape of our San Bernabe Vineyard at the base of
the Santa Lucia Mountain range, Diora is adopted from "D'or," a French term meaning "golden." Diora is
the culmination of a twenty-five year high touch vineyard to bottle journey starting at Monterey’s San
Bernabe Vineyard and the winery within it. Powered by the precision of winemaker James Ewart's
timing in the vineyard and touch in the cellar, Diora is a statement wine style overflowing with flavor,
depth and personality.
WI NEMAKER 'S NOTE
Plush, satinyy and full-bodied, intense aromas of blackberries, black licorice and white pepper are
punctuated by ancillary flavors of plum, blackberry and hints ofleather. Featuring select Syrah fruit from
our prized Block 25 as the backbone of this expressive blend, we complemented Syrah's intensity and
concentration with the soft, supple tannins of Grenache and the elegant aromatics of Viognier. The
resulting blend is a perfect balance of power and finesse and an excellent showcase of San Bernabe
Vineyard. - James Ewart, Winegrower
VI NT AGE REPORT
The 2012 vintage delivered an ideal growing season, producing fruit of exceptional quality. Light rainfall
during the spring led to a sturdy fruit set, which prompted prescriptive pruning throughout the growing
season to maximize flavor concentration. A mild summer allowed for long hang time on the vines
helping the fruit to reach full maturity. Dependable weather during harvest created the perfect conditions
for picking and as a result, the 2012 vintage produced wines with balanced acidity and elegant flavors.
VITI CULTURE
Our red wine is crafted from grapes grown in our family-owned San Bernabe Vineyard. The 2012 vintage
features Syrah fruit from the southwesterly-facing hillside of Block 25, which sits on rare, exceptionally
well-draining, sandy Aeolian soils derived from wind-formed dunes. Permeable soils coupled with windy
afternoons and low annual rainfall shielded by the three "crowns" (peaks) to the west result in optimal
vigor control -important for Syrah -and brilliant, concentrated wine filled with dark color, complex and
ripe aromas, mature tannins and added depth in the mid-palate.
WI NEMAKI NG
With James at the helm, fruit for this wine was picked vine by vine, which resulted in multiple passes
over a period of two weeks at the end of October. In the cool of the early morning, the fruit was hand
harvested in separate lots based on ripeness and time of day. Upon arrival to the winery, the grapes were
gently de-stemmed into stainless steel tanks. After a day of rest, James evaluated the lots and introduced
TECH NI CAL NOTES
2012 vintage
Monterey appellation
yeast to spur fermentation. During fermentation, punch downs and pumpovers were performed several
times throughout the day to extract color and tannin from the skins. Following the completion of
fermentation, the free run juice was racked into oak barrels for aging. After 20 months, James tasted and
selected the final lots for blending, resulting in the inaugural bottling of Diora Three Crowns.
88% Syrah, 7% Grenache, 4% Viognier. 1% Petite Verdot
Aged 20 months in 51% American oak, 49% French oak (68% of
barrels were new, of which, 72% French and 28% American)
PAI RI NG
This layered and robust red wine calls for slow-roasted barbecue pork, peppered hanger steak, venison au
jus, lamb chops with mint risotto.
pH: 3.62
TA: 0.61 g/1OOml
alcohol 15.0% by volume
958 cases produced (9L)