Syrah – One of the up and coming varietals in California, known as the great grape of Hermitage in the Rhone region of France. This varietal has only emerged in California since the 1980s. We currently have seventeen acres of Syrah. Our Syrah is planted on rootstocks 140R and 1103 and the clones are 877, 1, and 7.

Merlot – An all-time favorite grape from the Bordeaux region of France. Although the majority crop of this grape is usually blended with Cabernet Sauvignon to soften the tannins, it also holds a class of its own in the market. We currently have a bit over 4 acres of Merlot. It is planted on rootstocks 1103 and is clone 181.

Cabernet Sauvignon -- This great grape of the Medoc region of France has been widely adapted in California.Once known for its pure unblended varietal, the current vogue is blending it with others of the Bordeaux varieties to achieve more complex flavors and to sometimes escape the somewhat brutish alcohols and tannins. We currently have over 5 acres of Cabernet Sauvignon. Our Cab is planted on rootstocks 1103 and 140R with clones 8 and 337.

Grenache --The wines reflect the conditions under which the grapes were grown. When grown under tough conditions or from old vines the wines can be rich and complex, with flavours of roasted nuts, blackberries spices and above all earthiness. As young wines Grenaches are firm and sometimes rough textured. The colour often does not adequately prepare you for the depth of flavour.

WHAT OUR WINERY CUSTOMERS ARE SAYING

Bryan Babcock - Babcock Winery - Lompoc "Never have I encountered a vineyard in the Paso Robles area that has so much potential, while at the same time remains so undiscovered. The combination of well drained hillsides, limestone gushing out of the dirt, and a grower that knows how to sweat, but is at the same time extremely humble and flexible, makes this Eastside property a winemaking gem of the future. The Cabernet and Syrah that I made from this vineyard in 2003 are dark and saturated with distinctive flavors. My guess is that Carriage Vineyards won't remain undiscovered for long."

Scott J. Welcher - Viticulturist Wild Horse Winery October 2003
"Proprietors Larry & Diane Smyth can be proud of their impeccable attention to detail while developing the Carriage Vineyards. With over twenty years in the winery and vineyard business I have never witnessed a vineyard site developed with such finesse. Seasoned vineyard professionals are normally called upon for this caliber of installation, but the Smyth's have done it on their own. From site selection to varietal positioning everything was installed with the ultimate goal in mind...Producing premium wines that express the terrior of the vineyard, the nuances of the varietals planted, and the passion of the winegrowers.
With such a great vineyard debut from the Smyth's, anticipation is high for the 2003 vintage. Early organoliptic evaluations of the Carriage Vineyards Merlot suggest a high fruit tones based upon Black Cherry and spice. The sun is rising over the future of Carriage Vineyards with the forecast suggesting splendid sunny days ahead!"

Mike Faul - Lawrence-Faul Winery February 2004
"As proprietor of the Lawrence-Faul winery in Sunnyvale CA I had been looking for quality syrah from the central coast for quite a while and I came across Carriage Vineyards quite by accident. I can only say that the 2003 grapes have been excellent in quality and I anticipate that it will be a fantastic vintage. Working with Larry and Diane has been a pleasure and I have not seen anyone put as much into the care of the vineyard as I have seen Larry put in. I will enjoy coming back to Larry for 'my' Syrah grapes every year. "

Eric Glomski - Page Springs Cellars May 2005

"Top notch vineyards are all about the relationship between people and place. It takes more than a great site to produce high quality wine grapes and even the most skilled grower cannot coerce superb grapes from an uninteresting site. Luckily, Larry Smyth and Carriage Vineyards offer us both: extremely conscientious and committed farming, and ideal climate and soils."

"I have been very impressed with the first wines we have made from Larry's site.