Winemaker Notes
The nose on the 2018 La Bruma is knockout gorgeous. Cooling mint, herbal, and graphite aromas waft over a lavender, Chinese plum sauce, and blackberry core. There is a dense, but fresh, savory mid-palate somewhat akin to the aromas in a lamb shank jus. There is depth without being heavy or cloying. As it is a Peay Syrah, not surprisingly, the wine clocks in at 13.0% alcohol with superb acidity and vitality that will ensure a long life ahead of it.
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2018 Estate Syrah La Bruma is stunning this vintage, with pure violets, coffee, aniseed and smoky mineral aromas accenting ripe blackcurrant fruit. The medium-bodied palate pairs power and elegance, with a firm, fresh frame and transparent, highly perfumed fruits, and it finishes very long. Approachable now, it also has what it takes to go the distance in bottle.
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James Suckling
Crushed black pepper immediately stands out on the nose, along with aromas of sea breeze, blackberry and blueberry. Full-bodied with fine, firm tannins. Very lean and focused on the palate with the spice adding good complexity.
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.