Winemaker Notes
Blend: 90% Syrah, 8% Petite Sirah, 2% Viognier
Professional Ratings
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Vinous
The 2021 Syrah is another super-elegant wine from Kimsey, an evolution that has been great to see. Dark blue-ish fruit, spice, tobacco, leather and incense are some of the notes that develop in the glass. More than anything else, I am drawn to a combination of intensity and transparency that is utterly beguiling. I don't think I have tasted a wine like this at Kimsey before. It will be interesting to see how this ages. It's nice to see a Syrah that is red in color, as opposed to pitch black, like the first releases.
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Jeb Dunnuck
The 2021 Syrah is also terrific, with a tight, inward, yet potential-packed style in its ripe red and black fruits as well as ground pepper, liquid violets, and dried beef-like nuances. Medium to full-bodied, pure, beautifully balanced, and layered, it brings plenty of concentration yet has an overriding sense of elegance. It deserves 2-4 years of bottle age and will drink fabulously well over the following decade or more.
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James Suckling
Energetic and supple, with a framing of mineral, acid and well-integrated tannins carrying quietly floral peppercorns that dust riper notes of tamarind paste and black raspberries. The sappy tannins remain long and appealingly spiced throughout. Drink or hold.
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.