Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
Broad and complex, this syrah reveals ripe dark berries layered with white pepper, dried violets and grilled rosemary as well as wet stones and a touch of iodine. The full-bodied palate is supertense and deeply structured with remarkable depth and layers of dark fruit. Bold, powerful and firmly built, this is one for the cellar. From biodynamically grown grapes. Better after 2029.
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Jeb Dunnuck
Planted in 2001 to 6 x 4 spacing and cultivated using biodynamic farming methods since 2002, the 2022 Syrah Armada Vineyard is tightly wound, with a lot of inherent tension. Red and black berry eke their way out of the powerful core of darkness and intensity, with a balsamic note threading its way through close behind. Drinking window 2028-2038.
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Wine Spectator
Detailed and handsomely structured, with expressive flavors of blackberry and raspberry highlighted by rose petal, dusky spice and savory meat tones that gather richness and detail on the 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.”
Responsible for some of Washington’s most highly acclaimed wines, the Walla Walla Valley has experienced a surge in popularity in recent years and is home to both historic wineries and younger, up-and-coming producers.
The Walla Walla Valley, a Native American name meaning “many waters,” is located in southeastern Washington; part of the appellation actually extends into Oregon. Soils here are well-drained, sandy loess over Missoula Flood deposits and fractured basalt.
It is a region perfectly suited to Rhône-inspired Syrahs, distinguished by savory notes of red berry, black olive, smoke and fresh earth. Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot create a range of styles from smooth and supple to robust and well-structured. White varieties are rare but some producers blend Sauvignon Blanc with Sémillon, resulting in a rich and round style, and plantings of Viognier, while minimal, are often quite successful.
Of note within Walla Walla, is one new and very peculiar appellation, called the Rocks District of Milton-Freewater. This is the only AVA in the U.S. whose boundaries are totally defined by the soil type. Soils here look a bit like those in the acclaimed Rhône region of Chateauneuf-du-Pape, but are large, ancient, basalt cobblestones. These stones work in the same way as they do in Chateauneuf, absorbing and then radiating the sun's heat up to enhance the ripening of grape clusters. The Rocks District is within the part of Walla Walla that spills over into Oregon and naturally excels in the production of Rhône varieties like Syrah, as well as the Bordeaux varieties.