Winemaker Notes
The Syrah Tous les Jours is a quintessential Santa Ynez Valley Syrah. It is simultaneously bold and balanced, rich and smooth, fruit forward and earthy. It is impossibly dark and full-bodied, without ever going over the top. It is heavily inspired by Northern Rhone Syrah (Hermitage) and Australian Shiraz (Barossa Valley). The aromas and flavors are dominated by black cherry, raspberry, white pepper, forest floor and toasty oak.
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
Densely fruited yet with a simmer of peppercorn spice, this derives energy from the tension between its generous fruit and more savory notes. Sappy, sinewy tannins bring a tea-like character to the cherries and cherry pits, brambleberries and cigar tobacco. Drink or hold.
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Vinous
Tasted just after bottling, the 2023 Syrah Tous les Jours is once again an unbelievable value that packs in a ridiculous amount of character and fruit density. Blackberry, mocha, black cherry, graphite and sweet pipe tobacco flesh out in the glass. The 2023 is a mouth-coating, perfectly balanced wine that's loaded with juicy freshness and so much nuance. Just mind-bendingly good for the price.
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Jeb Dunnuck
A smoking value, the 2023 Syrah Tous Les Jours offers pure red and black fruits, peppery herbs, flowers, and black tea notes in an outstanding expression. Medium-bodied, juicy, and lively, with solid tannic grip and outstanding length, this 100% Syrah aged 16 months in used French oak is perfect for drinking over the coming 4-6 years or so. Drink 2025-2031.
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.”
Ranging from cool and foggy in the west to warm and dry in the east, the Santa Ynez Valley is a climatically diverse growing area. The most expansive AVA within the larger Santa Barbara County region, Santa Ynez is also home to a wide variety of soil types and geographical features. The appellation is further divided into four distinct sub-AVAs—Sta. Rita Hills, Ballard Canyon, Los Olivos District and Happy Canyon—each with its own defining characteristics.
A wide selection of grapes is planted here—more than sixty different varieties, and counting. Chardonnay and Pinot Noir dominate in the chilly west, while Zinfandel, Rhône blends, and Bordeaux blends rule the arid east. Syrah is successful at both ends of the valley, with a lean and peppery, Old-World sensibility closer to the coast and lush berry fruit further inland.