Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Vinous
The 2015 Syrah is glorious. Bold, rich and explosive, it oozes class. Hints of sage, tobacco, lavender and licorice meld into a core of deeply expressive Syrah fruit. Even with all of its intensity, the 2015 possesses superb purity, focus and energy. What a beautiful wine this is!
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2015 Syrah Ballard Canyon was my favorite of these releases from Kimsey, an attractive wine that wafts from the glass with rich notes of anise, dark currant fruit and bitter chocolate, initially framed by some light reduction which dissipates with aeration. On the palate, it's medium-bodied, taut and classy, with a promisingly layered but tight-knit core, bright acids, fine tannins and a long finish. This should evolve gracefully over the next decade, perhaps more.
Rating: 93+ -
Jeb Dunnuck
The 2015 Syrah (97% Syrah and 3% Viognier) is another wine that has a juicy, exotic passion fruit, white pepper, olive and floral profile. Fresh and lively, yet with plenty of concentration, it has bright acidity and a clean finish. This racy, tight profile works much better with the Syrah than the Grenache, but it too needs short term cellaring. I'm sure these were both recently bottled as well.
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.