Winemaker Notes
Blend: 97% Syrah, 3% Viognier
Professional Ratings
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Vinous
Kimsey's 2013 Syrah is utterly magnificent. A bevy of crushed rock, lavender, mint, violet and inky blue/purplish fruit blossom as this explosive, intense wine shows off its commanding personality. The 2013 is every bit as fabulous from bottle as it was from barrel, but the tannins are imposing and need time to soften a bit.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Just bottled in March, the 2013 Syrah Ballard Canyon is another sensational red from this estate that doesn't put a foot wrong. Cofermented with 3% Viognier and aged mostly in neutral oak (30% new), it offers awesome notes of creme de cassis, black raspberries, jam-covered toast, licorice and a touch of roasted meat-like characteristics on the nose.
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Wine Enthusiast
Tarry aromas of elderberry, teriyaki beef, soy and purple flowers combine for an umami-driven nose on this bottling from a newer vineyard in the region, with winemaking by Matt Dees. The palate packs vibrantly tart plum juice and dried lavender flavors, held up by powerful acidity, impressive for young vines.
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.”
Accounting for only ten percent of the greater Santa Ynez AVA, Ballard Canyon’s north-south orientation provides an ideal pattern of sunshine and martime fog for producing excellent Syrah. While Syrah is planted to half of the total AVA acreage, an additional third is dedicated to other Rhône varieties, red and white.