Winemaker Notes
The 2021 vintage made incredible Syrah. The Cep cuvée is a little more approachable than the Peay Syrahs as it does not have any new oak or whole cluster aromas that need a few years to integrate. Otherwise, this tastes exactly like the Peay Les Titans Syrah. The nose emphasizes blue fruits and violets with white pepper and olive accents. The weight on the palate is medium bodied and not heavy with refreshing acidity that keeps the wine precise and focused. A little of the savory steak and lamb sauce flavors linger on the long finish.
Professional Ratings
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Jeb Dunnuck
A youthful purple/ magenta, the 2021 Syrah West Sonoma Coast is peppery, fresh, and herbaceous with notes of pine, dried lavender, wet stones, and fresh blackberries. Medium-bodied, it has a refined, chalky tannin structure and a clean, floral finish, with a lovely flourish of savory classic olive notes. Drink over the next 5-7 years. This punches way above its price point.
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Wine Enthusiast
This softer-bodied coastal Syrah displays aromas of blackberry and lavender on the nose, with flavors of crushed plum, black pepper and forest floor on the palate with juicy acidity and beautifully textured tannin. Ideal with roasted red meats, this will also play nicely with fresh herbs and hard cheeses.
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.