Winemaker Notes
The 2018 Ex Umbris opens up on the nose with dried cranberries and a touch of stone and leather. The masculine aromas then give way to fresh cherry and blueberry on the palette. Subtle pepper and light smokiness follows the fruit to the midpalette. The tannins are mellow already which makes this an ideal everyday Syrah.
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
A red with really attractive dark berries, smoked meat and wet earth. Some sweet tobacco. Complex aromas. Medium to full body, round and polished tannins and an attractive, balanced aftertaste. 100% syrah. Drink now.
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Jeb Dunnuck
Another value-priced effort, the 2018 Ex Umbris is all destemmed Syrah that was brought up in neutral oak. It's deeper, almost inky purple color is followed by a medium to full-bodied Syrah with classic aromatics (dark fruits, peppery herbs), ripe tannins, notable purity of fruit, and a clean, balanced, undeniably delicious style. Drink it over the coming 5-7 years.
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.”
A large and geographically diverse AVA capable of producing a wide variety of wine styles, the Columbia Valley AVA is home to 99% of Washington state’s total vineyard area. A small section of the AVA even extends into northern Oregon!
Because of its size, it is necessarily divided into several distinctive sub-AVAs, including Walla Walla Valley and Yakima Valley—which are both further split into smaller, noteworthy appellations. A region this size will of course have varied microclimates, but on the whole it experiences extreme winters and long, hot, dry summers. Frost is a common risk during winter and spring. The towering Cascade mountain range creates a rain shadow, keeping the valley relatively rain-free throughout the entire year, necessitating irrigation from the Columbia River. The lack of humidity combined with sandy soils allows for vines to be grown on their own rootstock, as phylloxera is not a serious concern.
Red wines make up the majority of production in the Columbia Valley. Cabernet Sauvignon is the dominant variety here, where it produces wines with a pleasant balance of dark fruit and herbs. Wines made from Merlot are typically supple, with sweet red fruit and sometimes a hint of chocolate or mint. Syrah tends to be savory and Old-World-leaning, with a wide range of possible fruit flavors and plenty of spice. The most planted white varieties are Chardonnay and Riesling. These range in style from citrus and green apple dominant in cooler sites, to riper, fleshier wines with stone fruit flavors coming from the warmer vineyards.