Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Jeb Dunnuck
The 2015 Syrah ÜBER is the flagship Syrah and was aged 20 months in 58% new French oak. Sporting a surprisingly deep, inky color, it offers an awesome bouquet of blackberries, scorched earth, bacon fat, and crushed rocks. Deep, medium to full-bodied, and impressively concentrated, it offers terrific Syrah character and will benefit from a year or two of bottle age and keep for a decade. I followed this bottle for two days and it never failed to impress.
Rating: 95+ -
Vinous
The flagship Syrah ÜBER is once again compelling. Layers of aromas, flavors and textures open up as this nuanced, super-expressive Syrah starts to reveal itself. The blue and purplish fruit is nicely delineated, but it is the wine's overall balance that truly stands out. The 2015 ÜBER is done with a unique approach in which picks of fresh grapes are added to fermentation lots as the wine is being made.
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Wine Enthusiast
Savory aromas of black pepper, roasted lamb and burnt bacon decorate the boysenberry-syrup and dried maple-sugar notes of this bottling's extremely compelling nose. Brown sugar-glazed pork flavors meet with more pepper, soy and au jus on the palate, which will grow more complex and delicious with time.
Cellar Selection -
Wine Spectator
Refined and impeccably built, with expressive blueberry and violet aromas that open to elegantly layered raspberry, mineral and smoky spice flavors. Drink now through 2027.
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.”
With a dry and mild climate cooled significantly by moist ocean fog and breezes, Santa Barbara County is a grape-grower’s dream. Part of the larger Central Coast appellation, Santa Barbara is home to Santa Maria Valley and Santa Ynez Valley. The conditions here provide an opportunity for nearly effortless production of high-quality cool-climate Central Coast wines. This is also the site of the 2004 film Sideways, which caused Pinot Noir’s popularity to skyrocket and brought new acclaim to the region.
Chardonnay and Pinot Noir are the stars of Santa Barbara, producing wines marked by racy acidity. Crisp Sauvignon Blanc and savory Syrah are also important. The region is home to many young and enthusiastic winemakers eager to experiment with less common varieties including Chenin Blanc, Grüner Veltliner, Trousseau Gris, Gamay and Cabernet Franc, making it an exciting area to watch.