Winemaker's Notes
I hope there is a T-shirt that says ‘I Love Syrah’, because I’ll ask Santa for one this year. It is a grape that does not require new oak to excel, yet it will tolerate it. Akin to Cabernet Sauvignon, it has the oxygen appetite to stay alive in the bottle for a very long time, which is something I value very highly. There are nuances that can only develop in bottle when a wine is constructed with that style in mind. And depending on where Syrah is grown, it expresses itself broadly and complements a very wide range of food: From lighter structured/blueberry and red fruited versions of Syrah to profound mother-earth broody behemoths, one should find the right Syrah for a given food.
Being a drought winter vintage, it has great concentration due to smaller berries and thicker skins. The growing season allowed these later-season grapes growing in the cooler end of their zone to fully mature without going over the top. Here we get spices like rooibos tea and olives in the nose. Still quite structured, there is a carryover of allspice and gingery notes into a long finish where these echo and repeat. Should pair perfectly with venison, antelope, lamb and the like.
Judi Scherrer –
California Grapevine – January 2019
Medium to medium-dark ruby; attractive, forward, deep, intense, spicy, earthy, dark cherry and blackberry fruit aroma with hints of olive, black pepper, and cigar box; full body; deep, rich, textured, cedary, dark berry and currant flavors with good depth and some plushness in the mouthfeel; full tannin; lingering aftertaste. Showing some maturity and refinement now, and should continue to develop with another three to five more years of bottle aging. Very highly recommended. My Score: 92/100 Nick Ponomareff