Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Wilfred Wong of Wine.com
Bold and ripe, the full-flavored 2014 Piedrasassi Arroyo Grande Valley Rim Rock Vineyard Syrah comes through on the palate with excellent richness. The wine stays just this side of being over the top. The wine's black fruit flavors invite a pairing with a savory beef stew. (Tasted: June 19, 2017, San Francisco, CA)
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Tasting Panel
The 2014 Syrah Rim Rock Vineyard is a bit more forward and less savory than it so often is. On the plus side, readers will find a Syrah that drinks well right out of the gate, but on the negative side, little of the pungent, incisive aromatic/mineral edge that defines the best vintages looks like it never developed. I would prefer to drink the 2014 sooner rather than later.
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.”
One of the coolest growing areas in California, the Arroyo Grande Valley runs from the southwest to the northeast, just a few miles from the Pacific Ocean and is part of the Central Coast AVA. Situated so that cold Pacific Ocean air and fog is allowed to filter into the valley, Arroyo Grande also has an incredibly long growing season. Bud break occurs in February in most years with flowering in May and harvest in late September; the area is classified as cool Mediterranean.
These weather factors combined with the soil types—continental and marine rocks, greywacke, limestone, shale and volcanic—create wines with great concentration and fresh acidity. The cooler end of the valley is perfect for Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and is a good producer of sparkling wines. The warmer, more inland part of the valley is home to some of California’s oldest Zinfandel vines.