Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Vinous
The 2019 Syrah Les Titans, always the darker and more brooding of the two estate Syrahs, has plenty of intensity, but in the restrained style of this late-ripening year. There’s terrific purity in the flavors, even if the 2019 is not quite as savory or aromatically pungent as it can be. Readers will find a Titans that will uncharacteristically drink well pretty much upon release.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2019 Estate Syrah Les Titans has a deep ruby-purple color and scents of blackcurrants, blueberries, dried mint and lavender, dark chocolate and olive. The full-bodied palate is powerful and broody, its concentrated, savory fruits supported by generous, powdery tannins and seamless acidity, finishing long yet youthfully tense. It deserves another 3-5 years to unfold in bottle.
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.