Winemaker Notes
Vegan
Professional Ratings
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Jeb Dunnuck
A smoking value from the talents of Greg Brewer, the 2017 Syrah Santa Barbara County comes half from the Nielson Vineyard in Santa Maria and the other half from the Neely Vineyard in Los Alamos. Not destemmed and brought up in neutral oak, it has a classic Syrah gaminess as well as notes of black raspberries, bacon fat, crushed violets, and tapenade. This peppery, medium-bodied, elegant, beautiful Syrah has no hard edges, terrific balance, and just a complex, satisfying style.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Entirely whole-cluster fermented, the 2017 Syrah has a medium ruby color and pretty nose of pipe tobacco, blackcurrant, dried black cherries, chargrill, smoke and garrigue with hints of peppered meats, crushed blueberries and loamy earth. Medium to full-bodied and silky, it gives restrained ripe fruits in the mouth, fleshing out to savory layers, with firm, ripe, grainy tannins and seamless freshness, finishing long. Yum!
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Wine Enthusiast
Greg Brewer explores the savory side of Syrah in this bottling, which delivers aromas of thyme, green peppercorn, charred beef and elderberry on the nose. The palate packs in herbs and peppercorns but also thicker black-currant flavors, providing both flavorful depth and textural richness.
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Wine & Spirits
A new project from Greg Brewer, this syrah is drawn from Neely Vineyard, in Los Alamos, and Nielsen Vineyard, in the Santa Maria Valley. It’s sleek and rich, with aromas of lavender, violets and peppercorn, a burst of acidity and smoky, mouthfilling tannins. Well priced for steak.
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.”
With a dry and mild climate cooled significantly by moist ocean fog and breezes, Santa Barbara County is a grape-grower’s dream. Part of the larger Central Coast appellation, Santa Barbara is home to Santa Maria Valley and Santa Ynez Valley. The conditions here provide an opportunity for nearly effortless production of high-quality cool-climate Central Coast wines. This is also the site of the 2004 film Sideways, which caused Pinot Noir’s popularity to skyrocket and brought new acclaim to the region.
Chardonnay and Pinot Noir are the stars of Santa Barbara, producing wines marked by racy acidity. Crisp Sauvignon Blanc and savory Syrah are also important. The region is home to many young and enthusiastic winemakers eager to experiment with less common varieties including Chenin Blanc, Grüner Veltliner, Trousseau Gris, Gamay and Cabernet Franc, making it an exciting area to watch.