Winemaker Notes
If you’ve followed this wine over the years, you’ll be surprised when you open this bottling and find aromas of summer truffle, dark stony minerality, and even a hint of olive. It’s deep and earthy at first, then with some air the high notes come forward, showing lifted scents of violets, dark rose and savory herbs that mingle with the sweet promise of dark stone fruits.
Per usual, the palate is rich and muscular. You find lots of impact with fresh flavors of black cherry, ripe blueberry, and crème de violette. That’s all framed by earthy cocoa notes, peppery herbs, and a powerful structure of fine stemmy tannins and minerality. It’s an especially pretty and beguiling example of Roll Ranch, with no shortage of power for this wine’s ardent fans. Right now it’s open after a couple hours in a decanter, but ideally it would be cellared through 2022. It will be stunning with some serious aging.
Professional Ratings
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Jeb Dunnuck
The 2018 Syrah Roll Ranch is also medium to full-bodied, with a ripe, rounded mouthfeel that conceals significant tannins and structure. This blue-fruited, peppery, floral Syrah is going to need 3-4 years in the cellar. It has a history of aging beautifully and I would be surprised to see it drinking well at age 15.
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Wilfred Wong of Wine.com
COMMENTARY: The 2018 Ojai Vineyard Roll Ranch Vineyard Syrah recalls some of the top efforts from the Northern Rhône Valley. TASTING NOTES: This wine shines with aromas and flavors of black fruit, licorice, and savory spices. Pair it with slowly braised meat dishes. (Tasted: November 11, 2021, San Francisco, CA)
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.”
The largest and perhaps most varied of California’s wine-growing regions, the Central Coast produces a good majority of the state's wine. This vast California wine district stretches from San Francisco all the way to Santa Barbara along the coast, and reaches inland nearly all the way to the Central Valley.
Encompassing an extremely diverse array of climates, soil types and wine styles, it contains many smaller sub-AVAs, including San Francisco Bay, Monterey, the Santa Cruz Mountains, Paso Robles, Edna Valley, Santa Ynez Valley and Santa Maria Valley.
While the Central Coast California wine region could probably support almost any major grape varietiy, it is famous for a few Central Coast reds and whites. Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon and Zinfandel are among the major ones. The Central Coast is home to many of the state's small, artisanal wineries crafting unique, high-quality wines, as well as larger producers also making exceptional wines.