Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Wine & Spirits
Grown at the organically farmed Baker Lane estate, this shows the sunny warmth of the 2014 vintage, providing an unusually muscular expression of coastal syrah. It starts out with a compact, meaty black-olive flavor, then keeps gaining nuance as it absorbs oxygen, turning toward manzanita bark and peppercorn, spicy brightness breaking through the savory bulwark of structure and the alcohol warmth so that a fresh, iron-tinged woodland flavor lasts. If you happen to have a friend who hunts wild boar, this would make a great holiday gift.
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.