Winemaker Notes
Their other 2-acre Syrah site is one that they lease and farm on the Sonoma Coast in Annapolis. It is 100% Syrah and an effusive counterpoint to Peters. Floral notes dominate—-intense lavender and purple blossoms—-with black fruit and nuances of pepper and char. Brooding and deep with and fine structure on the palate through a long finish. With all of its intensity, Campbell manages to stay lively, textured and fresh, true to the cool site and Godlridge Soils it’s grown on. 2019 was an exceptional year at Campbell Ranch.
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Medium ruby-purple, the 2019 Syrah Campbell Ranch is bursting with blackcurrants, milk chocolate, laurel leaves and thyme aromas. The full-bodied palate offers a deep core of fruit, abundant, grainy tannins and gentle bursts of acidity that drive the long, layered finish. It's an elegant wine with much more depth to offer with another 2-3 years in the cellar. Best After 2023. Rating : 95+
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 vast appellation covering Sonoma County’s Pacific coastline, the Sonoma Coast AVA runs all the way from the Mendocino County border, south to the San Pablo Bay. The region can actually be divided into two sections—the actual coastal vineyards, marked by marine soils, cool temperatures and saline ocean breezes—and the warmer, drier vineyards further inland, which are still heavily influenced by the Pacific but not quite with same intensity.
Contained within the appellation are the much smaller Fort Ross-Seaview and Petaluma Gap AVAs.
The Sonoma Coast is highly regarded for elegant Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, and, increasingly, cool-climate Syrah. The wines have high acidity, moderate alcohol, firm tannin, and balanced ripeness.