Ampelos Bacchus Syrah

Though growing and making biodynamic wine is their passion, Peter and Rebecca Work love their four-legged friends even more. When their beloved chocolate lab Bacchus died in 2011, they gave her name to a five-row block of syrah in their Sta. Rita Hills vineyard and made small lots of wine from the block each vintage. Last fall, they blended the four barrels of wine they’d collected into a five-vintage blend and released this new special bottling last weekend. In honor of Bacchus, they decided to donate $2 of each bottle sold to Shadow’s Fund, which works on the rescue, rehab, and “re-homing” of pit bulls and other “high-risk” dogs in shelters.

“Bacchus was our first chocolate lab,” explained the Works. “She came to us as a tiny puppy while we were still in corporate suits in Long Beach. Bacchus was born a wine dog, before we were destined to be winemakers. She was at our side for every vine planted, grape picked, and wine bottled. Our girl loved to ride shotgun in the truck and could sense things we never saw coming — the most loving and loyal dog anyone could ever ask for.”

See ampeloscellars.net and shadowsfund.org.