Winemaker Notes
The cuvée name, Les Titans (”the Giants”), refers to two enormous and old growth redwood trees left by loggers over 100 years ago that flank the blocks of Syrah. True to its name, Les Titans is the more masculine, meaty, compact cuvee compared to the floral and peppery La Bruma.
Professional Ratings
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International Wine Cellar
Inky violet. Powerful aromas of crushed blackcurrant, violet, black pepper and olive. Lush and sappy, with deeply concentrated black and blue fruit and spice flavors energized by smoky minerality. Nothing thick or heavy about this wine, which packs a real punch. Finishes with enticing spicy lift and very good persistence. This should be even better with a bit of bottle age.
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 vast appellation covering Sonoma County’s Pacific coastline, the Sonoma Coast AVA runs all the way from the Mendocino County border, south to the San Pablo Bay. The region can actually be divided into two sections—the actual coastal vineyards, marked by marine soils, cool temperatures and saline ocean breezes—and the warmer, drier vineyards further inland, which are still heavily influenced by the Pacific but not quite with same intensity.
Contained within the appellation are the much smaller Fort Ross-Seaview and Petaluma Gap AVAs.
The Sonoma Coast is highly regarded for elegant Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, and, increasingly, cool-climate Syrah. The wines have high acidity, moderate alcohol, firm tannin, and balanced ripeness.