Winemaker Notes
This all-Vineyard blend encompasses 7 different Syrah blocks on PMV from the bottom of the hillside to the top of the rim of the canyon and is a great representation of Syrah and more specifically Ballard Canyon Syrah.
Professional Ratings
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Vinous
Inky blue fruit, pepper and oil-cured olive notes pour from the glass as the 2022 Syrah Purisima Mountain Vineyard blossoms with air. A wall of imposing tannin crashes into the palate while toasty mocha builds through the plush finish. This will need quite a bit of time to come around, but it will be worth the wait.
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Jeb Dunnuck
Made from 100% Syrah from the Purisima Mountain Vineyard, completely destemmed and raised in stainless steel tanks, the 2022 Syrah Purisima Mountain Vineyard shows both red and black berry fruits, pepper, and cedary, spicy, sandalwood-like notes. It's medium to full-bodied, round, supple, and mouth-filling on the palate. Drink this fruit-loaded, satisfying Syrah over the coming 5-7 years. Drink 2025-2032.
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.