Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Blueberries, brioche, and exotic litchi and flower aromas emerge from the 2003 Syrah Alder Springs Vineyard The Terraces (95% Syrah and 5% Viognier aged in 100% new French oak). It possesses a tannic structure and firmness along with gorgeous fruit, purity, and an intensity that must be tasted to be believed. whereas It will need 1-3 years of bottle age, and should last much longer than the Alder Springs.
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Wine Spectator
Dense and tightly wound, with chewy tannins wrapped around a core of white pepper, blueberry, boysenberry, licorice and earthy mineral scents, ending with a beef carpaccio edge and mouthcoating tannins. Decant.
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 diverse appellation within California’s North Coast AVA, Mendocino is home to several smaller sub-regions—most notably the Anderson Valley. This scenic region, with rolling hills covered in redwood forests as well as vineyards, is one of the world’s top producers of certified organically-grown grapes. Due to wide geographical and climatic variation, a vast array of wine styles can be found here.