Winemaker Notes
This beautifully balanced Estate Syrah marries savory aromas of olive tapenade and black pepper with floral notes of violet. The expansive palate shows flavors of dense dark fruit, bitter chocolate, and barrel spice that give way to a concentrated earthy mineral finish.
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
This Washington State syrah manages to combine almost perfectly great wild blackberries with the smoky and black-pepper aromas of the variety. Then comes the stunning interplay of crisp and lively tannins with serious concentration of spice and fresh acidity on the palate, which ignites the super long finish. It tastes like 13.5 per cent alcohol rather than the actual 15 per cent! Drink or hold.
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Jeb Dunnuck
The smaller production 2016 Syrah Estate Seven Hills Vineyard was mostly destemmed (20% whole clusters) and spent 18 months in 40% new French oak. Its deep purple color gives way to a medium to full-bodied, plump, rounded, sexy Syrah that has loads of plum and blueberry fruits, notes of spice and dried herbs, plenty of mid-palate depth, and a great finish. It's another impeccably made wine from this estate that's well worth seeking out.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2016 Syrah Seven Hills Vineyard Estate is a success with classic expressions of black pepper and delicate oak tones, with focused black fruit at the core. Medium to full-bodied, the palate is rich, bold and focused, showing a purity and correctness for Sarah and lingers with intention across the mid-palate. It ends with a lingering essence of oak, dark plum and berries sprinkled with black peppercorn on the long, pleasing finish. Well done. This is delicious juice. Rating: 90+
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Wine Enthusiast
Aromas of black raspberry, blueberry pie, dark coffee, cherry, vanilla and spice are followed by focused fruit flavors with a firm spine of tannins. It brings a pleasing sense of freshness, despite the warmth of the vintage, and has impressive staying power.
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Wine Spectator
Structured and precise, with sturdy currant, green olive and stony mineral accents that finish with refined tannins. Drink now through 2025.
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.”
Responsible for some of Washington’s most highly acclaimed wines, the Walla Walla Valley has experienced a surge in popularity in recent years and is home to both historic wineries and younger, up-and-coming producers.
The Walla Walla Valley, a Native American name meaning “many waters,” is located in southeastern Washington; part of the appellation actually extends into Oregon. Soils here are well-drained, sandy loess over Missoula Flood deposits and fractured basalt.
It is a region perfectly suited to Rhône-inspired Syrahs, distinguished by savory notes of red berry, black olive, smoke and fresh earth. Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot create a range of styles from smooth and supple to robust and well-structured. White varieties are rare but some producers blend Sauvignon Blanc with Sémillon, resulting in a rich and round style, and plantings of Viognier, while minimal, are often quite successful.
Of note within Walla Walla, is one new and very peculiar appellation, called the Rocks District of Milton-Freewater. This is the only AVA in the U.S. whose boundaries are totally defined by the soil type. Soils here look a bit like those in the acclaimed Rhône region of Chateauneuf-du-Pape, but are large, ancient, basalt cobblestones. These stones work in the same way as they do in Chateauneuf, absorbing and then radiating the sun's heat up to enhance the ripening of grape clusters. The Rocks District is within the part of Walla Walla that spills over into Oregon and naturally excels in the production of Rhône varieties like Syrah, as well as the Bordeaux varieties.