Winemaker Notes
There were a lot of indifferent Syrahs made out there over the past 25 years that tasted like simple, ripe, red wine. Bah, this is not Peay Syrah. Peay Syrah has character coming out of its ears. Take the 2021 La Bruma Syrah as an example. The black ink, slate, and violet aromas beckon as you swirl and smell. There is a depth to the iron aroma that expands on the palate when you take a sip. Though this is a not a bruiser and clocks in at only 13.1% alcohol, there is richness and density to the wine. The mouthfeel is soft with moderate tannins and aromas of brown spice, bacon, ponzu, and iron linger on the long refreshing aftertaste. Based on previous vintages, I would say let the wine age a year or two for flavors to coalesce and then try one every few years until it hits your sweet spot. This wine is delicious right now and full of pleasure but has the structure to age for decades.
Professional Ratings
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Wine Enthusiast
This powerful but savory cool-climate Syrah gives aromas of plum, black olives and violets on the nose, while the palate brings blackberry fruit and meaty flavors alongside kaleidoscopic waves of spice. This is very ageworthy stuff, with a near-perfect balance of acid and tannin for long-term aging.
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.