Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Jeb Dunnuck
Leading off the three Syrahs, the 2019 Syrah Sur Echalas Vineyard reveals a ruby/plum hue to go with a beautiful perfume of darker cherry and black raspberry-like fruits as well as smoked earth, shitake mushroom, iron, and exotic, floral and bloody nuances. This is one feral, exotic, incredibly complex Syrah that stills bring beautiful fruit, medium to full-bodied richness, ultra-fine tannins, and a great finish. It needs a solid hour in a decanter if drinking any time soon and will have two decades of longevity, if not more. This is the most perfumed and delicate of the three Syrahs. Best After 2022
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2019 Syrah Sur Echalas Vineyard is fantastic with aromas of salami, cured meat and dusty leather before showcasing a sanguine and dark red berry essence. Medium to full-bodied, notions of smoked peat moss sway with a fleshy but firm mouthfeel before displaying a delicate mineral tension across the mid-palate with a tannic edge. The wine glides to a persistent finish that will remain food-friendly for years to come.
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James Suckling
Give this a second to breath. A meaty nose of coppa, paprika, fennel and black cherry. Full-bodied with silky tannins. Bright flavors of dried berries and roses on the palate with plenty of spice. Great balance and intensity that leaves a lingering hum on the palate. From biodynamically grown grapes. Drink or hold.
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Wine Spectator
This distinctive red is structured and expressive, with blackberry, black olive, wild game and white pepper flavors that build detail and richness toward savory tannins. Drink now
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.