Winemaker Notes
Dark, dark and brooding like a great film noir. Wet rich earth, charred Herbs de Provence, fresh black cherry compote, continuous with a firm, luscious and salivating mouthfeel. This wine is gorgeous and, unlike most film noir, it finishes with a happy ending: filled with love and tears of joy
Professional Ratings
-
Jeb Dunnuck
The 2017 Syrah comes all from the Olsen Brothers Vineyard in the Yakima Valley and is a mix of the 383 and Phelps clones of Syrah. It was not destemmed and was brought up in just 15% new French oak. Ground pepper, meat, smoked game, and decayed flower notes all emerge from this Northern Rhone look-alike. It’s beautifully balanced, medium to full-bodied, and a rock star expression of Syrah to enjoy over the coming 8-10 years.
-
James Suckling
A spicy, flavorful red with plums, dried earth and sweet tobacco galore. It’s full-bodied and very intense. Spicy, clove-like aftertaste.
-
Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Opening with a mineral-driven nose and sense of black pepper and bitter dark chocolate, the 2017 Syrah Olsen Brothers Vineyard opens with aromas of dusty blackberries and cassis. Medium to full-bodied, the wine is firm and slightly smoky, with flavors of dried tobacco on the finish. I would give this one more year in bottle.
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.”
As the first recognized wine-growing region in the Pacific Northwest, Yakima Valley is centrally located within Washington’s vast Columbia Valley. The region also includes Washington’s oldest Cabernet Sauvignon vines, Otis Vineyard, planted in 1957, and Harrison Hill Vineyard, planted in 1963. Yakima Valley contains three smaller sub-regions: Rattlesnake Hills, Red Mountain, and Snipes Mountain and is ideal for both red and white wine production. In fact, Yakima Valley is Washington’s most diverse region, boasting more than 40 different grape varieties over about one hundred miles.
The cooler parts of the valley are home to almost half of the Chardonnay and Riesling produced in the state! Both are made in a wide range of styles depending on the conditions of the vineyard site.
But its warmer locations yield a large proportion of Washington’s best Merlot, Syrah and Cabernet Sauvignon. The finest Yakima Valley reds are jam-packed full of red cherry, currant, raspberry or blackberry fruit, as well as cocoa, herb, spice and savory notes, and exhibit a supple texture, great body, focus and length.