Winemaker Notes
Like last year, we will not have much Syrah to offer you but we what we have is good. Really good. La Bruma features more of the blue fruit and floral character of the variety though it is not soft and juicy. The frame of the wine is taut with a spine of acidity and aromas of slate, leather, and dried blood lingering on the finish. The 2017 La Bruma is yummy now and will get better with even more time in the bottle and your decanter.
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The medium to deep ruby-purple colored 2017 Estate Syrah La Bruma offers lovely aromatic layers, with pure scents of violets, crushed blueberries, blackberry candy and bright pops of perfumed red berries with nuances of blood orange, iron, licorice and lavender. The palate is medium to full-bodied with bursts of mint and bay over a fresh, crunchy fruit core with anchoring notes of iron. The frame is ripe, grainy and fresh, and it finishes long and nuanced.
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.