Winemaker Notes
Purple red in color with aromas of violet, Doris plum, lavender, fresh cracked pepper and bacon fat. There are also flavors of plum, a hint of leather, green olive and vanilla spice. The body is full with big, lush and balanced tannins. The acid is lively and the finish is long and brilliant.
Professional Ratings
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Wine Enthusiast
Effusive aromas of black figs, toasted oak, espresso beans and turned earth lead to dense, layered flavors of blackberries, woodsmoke, black pepper and star anise. This is a fascinating, complex and rather tannic wine that’s sure to keep improving with time.
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.