Winemaker Notes
Luke Syrah 2021 is full-bodied and deep in color. The wine enjoys a concentration of flavors and a velvety elegance. On first taste, there is pepper, licorice, dark chocolate and spice followed by blackberry, blueberry and candied fruits. A lengthy finish highlights the beautiful complexity of the wine.
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
A peppery, dark-fruited syrah with notes of plums, sweet spices and sandalwood on offer, following through to a medium- to full body with sleek, polished tannins and juicy acidity. It shows some tightness but is still bright and crunchy with spicy notes at the end. Drink or hold.
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Wilfred Wong of Wine.com
The 2021 Luke Syrah reveals a deep ruby hue and opens with aromas of ripe berries, forest floor, and fragrant spices. Bold and expressive on the palate, it delivers generous black fruit flavors layered with notes of licorice and well-integrated oak. A standout partner for Texas-style dry-rubbed ribs, where smoky spice and char meet the wine’s richness and depth. (Tasted: August 2, 2025, San Francisco, CA)
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Wine Spectator
A zesty red, with lively notes of blackberry, bitter mocha and cracked pepper that finish with medium-grained tannins. Drink now through 2032.
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.