Winemaker Notes
Blend: 85% Syrah, 15% Petit Sirah
Professional Ratings
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Jeb Dunnuck
One of the newer estates under the Jackson Family umbrella, Bootleg is managed by Kristy Melton, who’s turned out a brilliant Syrah blend in 2015. Made from 85% Syrah and 15% Petite Sirah, its deep purple color is followed by a peppery, meaty, dark fruited beauty that has full-bodied richness, complex notes of olives and spice, sweet tannin, and a great finish. It’s a pleasure-bent 2015 that should keep for a decade.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2015 Prequel Red Blend is made of 85% Syrah and 15% Petite Sirah aged 21 months in 37% new French oak and 1% new American oak. Deep garnet-purple colored, it delivers vibrant black cherries, black raspberries and wild blueberries with touches of licorice, grilled meats, Provence herbs and Sichuan pepper. Medium to full-bodied, it gives vibrant, expressive black fruit and spicy layers with a soft, rounded texture and refreshingly savory finish.
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.”
Home to a diverse array of smaller AVAs with varied microclimates and soil types, Sonoma County has something for every wine lover. Physically twice as large as Napa Valley, the region only produces about half the amount of wine but boasts both tremendous quality and variety. With its laid-back atmosphere and down-to-earth attitude, the wineries of Sonoma are appreciated by wine tourists for their friendliness and approachability. The entire county intends to become a 100% sustainable winegrowing region by 2019.
Sonoma County wines are produced with carefully selected grape varieties to reflect the best attributes of their sites—Dry Creek Valley’s consistent sunshine is ideal for Zinfandel, while the warm Alexander Valley is responsible for rich, voluptuous red wines like Cabernet Sauvignon. Chardonnay and Pinot Noir are important throughout the county, most notably in the cooler AVAs of Russian River, Sonoma Coast and Carneros. Sauvignon Blanc, Merlot and Syrah have also found a firm footing here.