Winemaker Notes
Deep ruby in color, the 2015 Austin Hope Syrah showcases beautiful ripe black cherry, cassis and blackberry liqueur aromas, accented by notes of dried violets and an earthy, freshly-tilled soil character. Layers of white pepper, smoke and leather are accented by a mocha-caramel sweetness. On the palate, the wine is a little more restrained than previous vintages, balancing youthful, gripping tannins with a medium-full body that highlights the ripe fruit notes. The acid is perfectly integrated and balances the wine as the fruit subsides, leading to a long, oak driven finish.
Professional Ratings
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Wine Enthusiast
Extremely rich on the nose, this bottling offers aromas of coffee candy, black cherry paste and roasted fig. Very much adhering to Austin Hope’s house style, the palate is also thick and creamy in flavors of caramel, espresso and syrupy black fruits, all bolstered by flashes of acidity.
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.”
Paso Robles has made a name for itself as a source of supple, powerful, fruit-driven Central Coast wines. But with eleven smaller sub-AVAs, there is actually quite a bit of diversity to be found in this inland portion of California’s Central Coast.
Just east over the Santa Lucia Mountains from the chilly Pacific Ocean, lie the coolest in the region: Adelaida, Templeton Gap and (Paso Robles) Willow Creek Districts, as well as York Mountain AVA and Santa Margarita Ranch. These all experience more ocean fog, wind and precipitation compared to the rest of the Paso sub-appellations. The San Miguel, (Paso Robles) Estrella, (Paso Robles) Geneso, (Paso Robles) Highlands, El Pomar and Creston Districts, along with San Juan Creek, are the hotter, more western appellations of the greater Paso Robles AVA.
This is mostly red wine country, with Cabernet Sauvignon and Zinfandel standing out as the star performers. Other popular varieties include Merlot, Petite Sirah, Petit Verdot, Syrah, Grenache and Rhône blends, both red and white. There is a fairly uniform tendency here towards wines that are unapologetically bold and opulently fruit-driven, albeit with a surprising amount of acidity thanks to the region’s chilly nighttime temperatures.