Winemaker Notes
Intriguing, tantalizing and desirable. Expectations turn into surprises of white pepper, black plum, potpourri and fresh pine needles. Melds and twists of complexity - fresh sage, grilled herbs, orange zest and nori notes.
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
The aromas leap out of the glass. Wet earth, tapenade, green peppercorns, volcanic ash and tea leaves. Hints of orange peel. It’s electric on the palate, so savory, so earthy and so minerally, with stemmy and tea-like tannins. The freshness and energy are astounding, and the finish just keeps going. Delicious syrah.
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Jeb Dunnuck
One of the seemingly cooler climate-inspired Syrahs in the lineup, the 2021 Syrah Motor City Kitty comes from the Boushey Vineyard in the Yakima Valley (vines planted in 2007) and was not destemmed and was brought up in used oak. Smoky, gamey, Northern Rhône-like aromatics all give way to a medium-bodied, fresh, focused beauty that has fine tannins, a solid core of darker fruit, lots of peppery, meaty nuances, and outstanding length. Rating: 93+
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Vinous
The 2021 Syrah The Motor City Kitty is impossible to ignore. Rich and fruit-focused, it wafts up with notes of rum cake and blackberry jam complicated by black olive, rosemary and ashen stones. This opens with a balanced inner sweetness offset by tart wild berry fruits. It is quite lifted in feel, with sage and exotic spices propelled by brisk acidity.
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Wine Spectator
Potent but structured and polished, offering expressive raspberry and blueberry flavors that take on licorice and black olive accents as this races toward zesty tannins. Drink now through 2032. 2,271 cases made.
Located at the base of the Blue Mountains in Walla Walla Washington, K Vintners opened its doors to the public on December 3rd, 2001. The property at 820 Mill Creek Road where the winery sits was homesteaded in 1853 with the adjacent farmhouse built in 1872. The winery grounds with Titus Creek flowing through the lawn and the old pioneer planted trees, is a little slice of heartland Americana. The Winemaker: He loves to drink wine! Charles Smith, proprietor and winemaker, comes to Walla Walla after 11 years in Scandanavia. Originally from northern California, he has been involved with wine personally and professionally his whole life. And did we forget to mention... he loves to drink wine! The Vineyards: K Vintners is producing wines from 2 distinctive viticultural zones: Wahluke Slope and Walla Walla Valley. Each of these areas are unique and awesome for Syrah and the Field Blends produced. In April '02 two seperate blocks of vineyards were planted to Syrah adjacent to the winery in the rocky dry creek beds that run through K Vintners property.
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.”
As the first recognized wine-growing region in the Pacific Northwest, Yakima Valley is centrally located within Washington’s vast Columbia Valley. The region also includes Washington’s oldest Cabernet Sauvignon vines, Otis Vineyard, planted in 1957, and Harrison Hill Vineyard, planted in 1963. Yakima Valley contains three smaller sub-regions: Rattlesnake Hills, Red Mountain, and Snipes Mountain and is ideal for both red and white wine production. In fact, Yakima Valley is Washington’s most diverse region, boasting more than 40 different grape varieties over about one hundred miles.
The cooler parts of the valley are home to almost half of the Chardonnay and Riesling produced in the state! Both are made in a wide range of styles depending on the conditions of the vineyard site.
But its warmer locations yield a large proportion of Washington’s best Merlot, Syrah and Cabernet Sauvignon. The finest Yakima Valley reds are jam-packed full of red cherry, currant, raspberry or blackberry fruit, as well as cocoa, herb, spice and savory notes, and exhibit a supple texture, great body, focus and length.