Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Wine Enthusiast
The aromas jump from the glass, with laser-focused notes of funk, firepit, peat, black olive tapenade, Stargazer lily, crushed flower and wet rock. The palate is full in feel, rich and intense, loaded with fruit and savory flavors that extend on a potpourri- and olive-brine-filled finish. It's outrageous in its appeal, a nearly overwhelming expression of this region.
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James Suckling
A smoky nose with notes of blackberries, plums, violet and spices. It’s full-bodied with sleek tannins. Creamy and smoky on the palate with a velvety texture. Layered and structured with a core of black fruit and a savory finish. Tea-like with spiced meat. Gorgeous now, but better in 2023.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Brooding in the glass, the 2018 Syrah Sur Echalas Vineyard opens to aromas of spiced blackberry compote, wilted lavender and rose petals with elements of sweet red peppercorn, baked earth and spiced cherry compote. Medium to full-bodied, the Syrah displays impressive balance and a luscious mouthfeel, offering flavors of umami, blackberry reduction and dusty plum with a delightful mineral essence and lifting tannins. The long finish evolves over a few moments and slowly unravels to reveal its complexities, allowing you to contemplate the magic that has been captured in the bottle. The wine aged for two years in neutral French oak. Just under 4,800 bottles produced.
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Wine Spectator
Generous black cherry and smoky bacon aromas pair with refined and focused stony mineral and black olive flavors, finishing with fine-grained tannins. Drink now through 2030.
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.”
Responsible for some of Washington’s most highly acclaimed wines, the Walla Walla Valley has experienced a surge in popularity in recent years and is home to both historic wineries and younger, up-and-coming producers.
The Walla Walla Valley, a Native American name meaning “many waters,” is located in southeastern Washington; part of the appellation actually extends into Oregon. Soils here are well-drained, sandy loess over Missoula Flood deposits and fractured basalt.
It is a region perfectly suited to Rhône-inspired Syrahs, distinguished by savory notes of red berry, black olive, smoke and fresh earth. Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot create a range of styles from smooth and supple to robust and well-structured. White varieties are rare but some producers blend Sauvignon Blanc with Sémillon, resulting in a rich and round style, and plantings of Viognier, while minimal, are often quite successful.
Of note within Walla Walla, is one new and very peculiar appellation, called the Rocks District of Milton-Freewater. This is the only AVA in the U.S. whose boundaries are totally defined by the soil type. Soils here look a bit like those in the acclaimed Rhône region of Chateauneuf-du-Pape, but are large, ancient, basalt cobblestones. These stones work in the same way as they do in Chateauneuf, absorbing and then radiating the sun's heat up to enhance the ripening of grape clusters. The Rocks District is within the part of Walla Walla that spills over into Oregon and naturally excels in the production of Rhône varieties like Syrah, as well as the Bordeaux varieties.