Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
Rich, fruity and generous, but also spicy, smoky and well-braced by acidity and moderate tannins. It’s a syrah that has it all, deep blackberry and blueberry flavors laced with white pepper, singed rosemary and black cherries that expand on the palate and linger on the finish. Drinkable now, but best from 2028.
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Jeb Dunnuck
Another terrific Syrah from this team, the 2021 Syrah The Deal is all varietal and comes from the Sundance Vineyard on the Wahluke Slope. Its deep ruby/purple hue is followed by a terrific array of red, blue, and black fruits, as well as some classic Northern Rhône game, violet, leather, and iron-like nuances. It's complex, medium to full-bodied, has ripe tannins, and a beautiful mouthfeel. It's stunning stuff as well as a brilliant value.
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Vinous
Dark and brooding in the glass, the 2021 Syrah The Deal mixes grilled herbs and olive tones with blackcurrants and crushed ashen stones. Silken and elegant, it features polished black fruits and a distinct salty-mineral sensation that forms toward the close. The mouth waters through the mentholated finish as liquid violet florals and citrus-tinged blackberries resonate over a bed of fine tannins.
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Wine Spectator
Bursts with fresh blueberry and black olive flavors up front before slowly building structure and tension toward firm yet refined tannins. Drink now through 2031. 1,832 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.”
Distinguished by a broad, south-exposed, uniform slope and landlocked by the Columbia River to its south and Saddle Mountains to its north, the Wahluke Slope AVA of Washington holds 15% of the total vine acreage of the state and takes its name from the Native American word for “watering place.”
Incidentally the Wahluke Slope AVA has one of the hottest and driest climates of the state so irrigation is not only essential, but also allows complete grower control of vine vigor. On top of its arid and warm environment, strong summer winds blow across this broad slope and ensure both smaller leaf size and grape clusters. The result is top quality wines with great concentration, phenolic ripeness, body and depth of flavor.
Vineyards cover the AVA from 425 to 1,480 feet along the slope. Its deep soils of wind-blown alluvium and sand with a depth, on average, of more than 5 feet along the continuous grade allow optimal drainage for the vines.
Thriving varieties include Merlot, Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon, Riesling, Chardonnay and Chenin Blanc.
Merlots are rich in sweet, ripe cherry, red currant, raspberry and cocoa. Syrahs tend to express black and blue fruit along with savory notes. Wahluke Cabernets are rich in stewed red and black berries.