Picking Lines Wines 'River Runner Red' Syrah, Clarksburg, California 2020
Picking Lines is the small-lot project of winemaker Nick Leishman, founded in 2018 and rooted equally in the cellar and the outdoors. Nick trained across some of Napa Valley's most prestigious addresses — Fantesca on Spring Mountain, Gargiulo and Bond in Oakville, O'Shaughnessy on Howell Mountain — working alongside Heidi Barrett, Phillip Melka, Julian Fayard, and Sean Capiaux, before a harvest at Vavasour in Marlborough's Awatere Valley and a further stint consulting alongside Chris Dearden. The Picking Lines name is drawn from the discipline of river navigation: the art of reading terrain, selecting the cleanest line through moving water, and committing to it with precision. The same ethos shapes his winemaking — sourcing from small, overlooked vineyard plots, making vintage-responsive decisions in the cellar, and bottling wines built for the table rather than the trophy shelf.
- Winemaker: Nick Leishman
- Farming: Sustainable
- Variety: Syrah-dominant blend; Merlot, Zinfandel, and Petite Sirah
- Terroir: Sourced from vineyards on the banks of the Sacramento River in the Clarksburg AVA, located within the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta across portions of Yolo, Sacramento, and Solano Counties. The terrain is characteristically flat, with fertile, mineral-rich alluvial soils — loam, silt, and clay — deposited over millennia by the Sacramento River. A daily delta breeze travels inland from San Francisco Bay each afternoon, cooling the canopy significantly and creating meaningful diurnal temperature variation despite the region's warm Mediterranean growing season. This natural air conditioning distinguishes Clarksburg from neighboring Sacramento and Lodi, extending hang time and preserving natural acidity in warm-weather varieties. The region has established a particular reputation for Syrah and Petite Sirah grown in these river-proximate, well-drained levee soils.
- Vinification: 20% whole cluster fermentation. Hand-harvested, small-lot production of 6 barrels.
- Aging: 28 months on fine lees in neutral French oak.
- Tasting Notes: Deep ruby with violet highlights. Aromas of blackberry, black plum, violet, and wild pepper with a light, lifted floral quality. The palate is surprisingly light-bodied for the variety — cool delta conditions showing clearly — with black fruit, delicate white pepper spice, and fine, moderate tannins. The finish is moderate to long and clean, with excellent balance between fruit and structure.
- Food Pairings: Grilled tri-tip, smoked beef ribs, carne asada, sausage and mushroom pasta, grilled portobello, aged cheddar or Manchego.
Picking Lines Wines 'River Runner Red' Syrah, Clarksburg, California 2020
Picking Lines is the small-lot project of winemaker Nick Leishman, founded in 2018 and rooted equally in the cellar and the outdoors. Nick trained across some of Napa Valley's most prestigious addresses — Fantesca on Spring Mountain, Gargiulo and Bond in Oakville, O'Shaughnessy on Howell Mountain — working alongside Heidi Barrett, Phillip Melka, Julian Fayard, and Sean Capiaux, before a harvest at Vavasour in Marlborough's Awatere Valley and a further stint consulting alongside Chris Dearden. The Picking Lines name is drawn from the discipline of river navigation: the art of reading terrain, selecting the cleanest line through moving water, and committing to it with precision. The same ethos shapes his winemaking — sourcing from small, overlooked vineyard plots, making vintage-responsive decisions in the cellar, and bottling wines built for the table rather than the trophy shelf.
- Winemaker: Nick Leishman
- Farming: Sustainable
- Variety: Syrah-dominant blend; Merlot, Zinfandel, and Petite Sirah
- Terroir: Sourced from vineyards on the banks of the Sacramento River in the Clarksburg AVA, located within the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta across portions of Yolo, Sacramento, and Solano Counties. The terrain is characteristically flat, with fertile, mineral-rich alluvial soils — loam, silt, and clay — deposited over millennia by the Sacramento River. A daily delta breeze travels inland from San Francisco Bay each afternoon, cooling the canopy significantly and creating meaningful diurnal temperature variation despite the region's warm Mediterranean growing season. This natural air conditioning distinguishes Clarksburg from neighboring Sacramento and Lodi, extending hang time and preserving natural acidity in warm-weather varieties. The region has established a particular reputation for Syrah and Petite Sirah grown in these river-proximate, well-drained levee soils.
- Vinification: 20% whole cluster fermentation. Hand-harvested, small-lot production of 6 barrels.
- Aging: 28 months on fine lees in neutral French oak.
- Tasting Notes: Deep ruby with violet highlights. Aromas of blackberry, black plum, violet, and wild pepper with a light, lifted floral quality. The palate is surprisingly light-bodied for the variety — cool delta conditions showing clearly — with black fruit, delicate white pepper spice, and fine, moderate tannins. The finish is moderate to long and clean, with excellent balance between fruit and structure.
- Food Pairings: Grilled tri-tip, smoked beef ribs, carne asada, sausage and mushroom pasta, grilled portobello, aged cheddar or Manchego.