Winemaker Notes
Les Voisins Syrah originates from three vineyards in Yorkville Highlands that share not only a property line, but also schist soils reminiscent of the northern Rhône. It is these soils that contribute to the spiciness and backbone of this Syrah. These vineyards are the source of three of our Single Vineyard bottlings. Fortunately, Wells Guthrie holds back a bit of fruit to blend together for Les Voisins.
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The medium garnet-purple colored 2015 Syrah les Voisins (100% Syrah) displays bold black cherries, blackberries and warm plums scents with a very spicy undercurrent of baking spices and black pepper. Medium to full-bodied with firm, rounded tannins, it gives a great intensity of peppered black fruits, finishing long and perfumed.
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 unique appellation placed in between the warm, Sonoma County Alexander Valley and the cooler Mendocino County's Anderson Valley, the Yorkville Highlands’ gravel soils are ideal for Bordeaux varieties and other full-bodied reds.