Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
Beef-tartar aromas jump out of the glass, followed by violets, pomegranates, blood oranges and mixed peppercorns. It’s juicy and meaty on the palate with a full body and a rounded texture. There is fruit at the core, evolving to peppery, meaty notes, almost bloody at the end. From biodynamically grown grapes. Try this from 2028.
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Jeb Dunnuck
The 2022 Syrah The Tribe Vineyard has a fruit core of blackberry and black cherry that’s extremely appealing, with earthy secondary components of lavender and garrigue. The grip of refined tannins is subtle and integrated, with a length to the palate that’s impressively elegant. White pepper dots the finish. Cellar through 2033.
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Wine Spectator
Distinctive and detailed, with spirited flavors of raspberry and blackberry accented by bacon fat, black olive, black pepper and river stone as this builds tension and structure toward broad-shouldered tannins. Drink now through 2035.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2022 Syrah The Tribe Vineyard comes from biodynamically farmed vines planted in 2009. Matured for 15 months in used French oak, it has inviting scents of black cherry, cracked pepper, mint, garrigue and forest floor. The full-bodied palate is slightly coiled with dark, graphite-laced flavors. It’s framed by chalky tannins and juicy acidity and has a long finish. It unfurls dramatically with air and will benefit from 3–5 years in the cellar.
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.