Description/Palate
11% Syrah adds color and kick to this "Cabernet Franc/Cabernet Sauvignon" blend. Rich, bright "berry" style fruit comes through along with complexity and a voluptuous texture round, supple and chewy. This is a delicious blend that is easy to enjoy. It combines elegance with rusticity.

Background
Hartley-Ostini Hitching Post wines are made by Buellton Hitching Post owner/chef Frank Ostini and his good friend, Gray Hartley, a fisherman by day.

Frank and Gray first made wine at home in 1979. They found their first Pinot Noir in 1981. The project moved to a winery in 1984 to  make the first wines under the Hitching Post label. From 1991 to 2000, Frank and Gray have made their wines at the Au Bon Climat/Qupe Winery on the Bien Nacido Vineyard in the Santa Maria Valley. In 2001, Hitching Post Wines moved to Central Coast Wine services in Santa Maria. Yearly production has grown to 4200 cases.  

Their passionate focus has been to work with the California Central Coast's best vineyards to produce several Pinot Noirs, a Chardonnay and a Syrah. With a cool marine-influence climate and unusually long growing season, many of these grapes make wines that drink well when young had have shown the ability to improve and age gracefully for many years.

Fruit is purchased in excellent condition from good growers in cool climate areas of Santa Barbara County. The grapes are picked in the early morning and destemed into 1.5 ton open-top fermentation vats. Cold maceration is allowed for several days, then a cultured yeast is added to promote a long and cool fermentation. Then comes the manual punch downs from one to four times/day depending on the stage of fermentation. Pressing occurs after 14-21 days directly into barrel (no settling of solids). The wine is racked in the spring, and again six weeks before bottling. Most wines are aged in French Oak barrels for 18 months and are bottled unfiltered.  

Food Parings
This selection would be perfect with venison, grilled pork or a boneless leg of lamb with lots of garlic and herbs de Provence. This is a gutsy wine easily able to handle highly flavored meats, cheeses or spice combinations.

Cellar Hints
Keep it cool (55-65 degrees F).  The wine will continue to improve for 8 to 10 years if properly cellared. It will drink very well now but would best be decanted to round it out.