Winemaker Notes
Like Reva and Lorraine, Seymour’s is aged 3.5 years in a mix of new and used French oak barrels after undergoing open top fermentation by its native yeasts; then bottle unfined and unfiltered.
Professional Ratings
-
Wine Spectator
Dense and opulent, with a fascinating display of rich, syrupy blackberry, huckleberry, wild berry and black licorice, delivered with a smooth texture, firm, ripe tannins and a wonderful focus that keeps repeating the dense fruit flavors. This one really grows on you.
-
Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2003 Syrah Seymour’s Vineyard is the most restrained and elegant of the Syrahs. While more delicate, nuanced, and possibly more complex than the two single vineyard wines I rated higher, it does not possess the power and stature of the Lorraine, or the exuberance of the Reva. It is a full-bodied, rich, polished, deep purple-hued, noble, complex offering revealing notes of smoke, graphite, blackberries, toast, and earth. It is a French-styled Syrah with a powerful, California-like alcoholic clout. Enjoy this impressive, full-throttle Syrah over the next 15+ years.
-
Wine Enthusiast
Tremendous depth and complexity, with red and black stone fruits, berries, spices and herbs. Layers of anise, chocolate, oak. Tannins are rich, thick, soft and negotiable now. Huge wine.
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.”
The largest and perhaps most varied of California’s wine-growing regions, the Central Coast produces a good majority of the state's wine. This vast California wine district stretches from San Francisco all the way to Santa Barbara along the coast, and reaches inland nearly all the way to the Central Valley.
Encompassing an extremely diverse array of climates, soil types and wine styles, it contains many smaller sub-AVAs, including San Francisco Bay, Monterey, the Santa Cruz Mountains, Paso Robles, Edna Valley, Santa Ynez Valley and Santa Maria Valley.
While the Central Coast California wine region could probably support almost any major grape varietiy, it is famous for a few Central Coast reds and whites. Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon and Zinfandel are among the major ones. The Central Coast is home to many of the state's small, artisanal wineries crafting unique, high-quality wines, as well as larger producers also making exceptional wines.