Winemaker Notes
Alluring with aromas of dried rose petal, blackberry, lavender and anise seed. Notes of crushed rock, dried herbs, old leather gloves and black ink on the palate.
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
Gorgeous nose of bitter chocolate, black plums, peppered steak, cloves and toasted hazelnuts. Salty olives, too. Full-bodied, with broad and muscular tannins, yet so well integrated. I like the savory meatiness here. Long. Even better from 2024.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2020 Syrah The Hidden Northridge Vineyard starts with a mineral-focused nose and dense, dark fruit aromas that float out of the glass with notions of wilted purple flowers and spicy and savory notions. Medium to full-bodied, the wine is mineral-driven on the palate, with flavors of juicy tobacco, blackberry jus and spiced cherry compote, a delicate mineral tension and buttressing tannins. The Syrah glides to an elegant, long-lingering, mineral-laced finish and will continue drinking well for about two decades. Begin drinking after two years of additional bottle aging, and decant 30 minutes before consuming.
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Jeb Dunnuck
The 2020 Syrah The Hidden comes from a mix of clones and high-density plantings in the Northridge Vineyard on the Wahluke Slope. It’s medium to full-bodied, concentrated, and structured, with impressive red, blue, and black fruits, some floral, mineral, and loamy earth nuances, good mid-palate density, and a great finish. It needs 3-4 years to integrate its structure but is clearly a beautiful wine.
Rating:94+ -
Wine Spectator
Big and a bit angular, with brooding blackberry and currant flavors that take on notes of bitter chocolate and savory herbs before finishing with broad-shouldered tannins, Best from 2026 through 2032. 548 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.