Winemaker Notes
This full-bodied Syrah shows robust, fruit-forward aromas of blackberry, cassis, and black plum accentuated with hints of violet, black peppercorn, and anise. Dark fruit flavors laced with spice reveal themselves on the palate with a rich, mouth-filling, and velvety finish.
Blend: 82% Syrah, 16% Grenache, 2% Mourvèdre
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
Attractive black pepper and black fruit aromas waft from the glass. Crushed rock and tea leaves, too. It’s full-bodied, supple and creamy, with ripe tannins and a caressing finish.
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Vinous
The 2021 Syrah is dark and enticing, with earth tones, crushed blackberries, crushed stones and spiced citrus. This is silky-smooth, energized by juicy acidity, as ripe wild berries cascade across a core of tactile minerals and savory spice. The 2021 finishes grippy and long, leaving a tart fruit concentration to resonate over a layer of edgy tannins. For an entry-level Syrah, this is some pretty serious stuff.
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Jeb Dunnuck
Leading off the Syrahs from this notable estate, the 2021 Syrah Columbia Valley is vivid plum/purple-hued and has a fruit-forward, pleasure-bent style in its raspberry and blueberry fruits as well as peppery herbs and meaty, underbrush-like aromatics. It's balanced, medium to full-bodied, has a great texture, and outstanding length.
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Wine Spectator
Handsomely structured and appealing for its cherry and currant flavors, this red is accented with pencil lead and spice notes, finishing with a slight tannic bite.
Marked by an unmistakable deep purple hue and savory aromatics, Syrah makes an intense, powerful and often age-worthy red. Native to the Northern Rhône, Syrah achieves its maximum potential in the steep village of Hermitage and plays an important component in the Red Rhône Blends of the south, adding color and structure to Grenache and Mourvèdre. Syrah is the most widely planted grape of Australia and is important in California and Washington. Sommelier Secret—Such a synergy these three create together, the Grenache, Syrah, Mourvedre trio often takes on the shorthand term, “GSM.”
A large and geographically diverse AVA capable of producing a wide variety of wine styles, the Columbia Valley AVA is home to 99% of Washington state’s total vineyard area. A small section of the AVA even extends into northern Oregon!
Because of its size, it is necessarily divided into several distinctive sub-AVAs, including Walla Walla Valley and Yakima Valley—which are both further split into smaller, noteworthy appellations. A region this size will of course have varied microclimates, but on the whole it experiences extreme winters and long, hot, dry summers. Frost is a common risk during winter and spring. The towering Cascade mountain range creates a rain shadow, keeping the valley relatively rain-free throughout the entire year, necessitating irrigation from the Columbia River. The lack of humidity combined with sandy soils allows for vines to be grown on their own rootstock, as phylloxera is not a serious concern.
Red wines make up the majority of production in the Columbia Valley. Cabernet Sauvignon is the dominant variety here, where it produces wines with a pleasant balance of dark fruit and herbs. Wines made from Merlot are typically supple, with sweet red fruit and sometimes a hint of chocolate or mint. Syrah tends to be savory and Old-World-leaning, with a wide range of possible fruit flavors and plenty of spice. The most planted white varieties are Chardonnay and Riesling. These range in style from citrus and green apple dominant in cooler sites, to riper, fleshier wines with stone fruit flavors coming from the warmer vineyards.