Winemaker Notes
Deep red with purple edges. Aromas of violets, Doris plum, lavender, fresh cracked pepper and bacon fat. Dark fruit flavors dominate including plum and currants with hints of leather, black olive, vanilla and anise. It is a full and lively wine that is big, lush and balanced. The finish is long and brilliant.
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
This sits on the edge of reduction, showing the herbal, savory, earth-driven nature of syrah from a cool vintage. The palate is fine-tuned with mouthwatering tannins and acidity, revealing a lovely mineral edge in the finish. Give it some air before tasting.
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Wine Enthusiast
This soft-bodied cool climate Syrah is massively floral on the nose, with aromas of fresh cherries, raspberries, purple flowers and chopped herbs. The palate displays a balance of juicy raspberry acidity, grippy tannin and flavors of black plum, cocoa powder, violets and savory herbs across a long finish.
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.