Winemaker Notes
The 2018 MJM will drink well early for its exuberant fruit and ripe structure, but it also has terrific concentration and balance for aging. Indeed, it reminds us of the 2016, another vintage showing freshness and exuberant fruits.
Professional Ratings
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Jeb Dunnuck
Lastly, the 2018 Syrah MJM (95% Syrah, 4% Grenache, and 1% Viognier) offers a sensational bouquet of gamey red and blue fruits as well as aged beef, iron, beef blood, tapenade, and sage brush-like aromas and flavors. Powerful, medium to full-bodied, and concentrated, it has ripe yet substantial tannins, terrific balance, plenty of mid-palate density, and a great finish, which it shares more than a passing resemblance to. Rating: 97+
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Medium ruby, the 2018 Syrah MJM has singular scents of blackberry jam, violets, gravel dust, olives and pipe tobacco with meaty undertones. The full-bodied palate has abundant, grainy tannins, seamless acidity, savory fruits and a long, layered finish. It's intense and concentrated and will evolve positively in bottle over the next 10-15 years. Rating : 95+
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Connoisseurs' Guide
This exceptionally well-defined Syrah very successfully aims for precision rather than brawn, and it keeps tannin in check while relying on balancing acidity for firmness and age-worthiness. It is not “fruity” per se, yet it possesses a good deal of essential, dark berry fruit laced with a careful complement of sweet spice and lightly caramelized meat, and, while not as muscular or as sinewy as many of its bigger cousins, its careful, somewhat claret- like structure affords it fine, long-range potential of some five to eight years, if not more.
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.