Winemaker Notes
The Rim Rock Vineyard is seven miles from the ocean, with 35 year old own-rooted vitis vinifera. The Chamise soils there are the exact opposite of limestone: very acidic.
Professional Ratings
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Wine Spectator
Alluring aromatics of dried violet, lavender and leather include an undercurrent of bacon fat and iodine that gives way to a lively textured yet structured core of licorice-accented blackberry. Mineral notes swirl in on the finish, where there's a twinge of tannic grip but nice persistence as this circles back to the core flavors.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2021 Syrah Rim Rock Vineyard opens with touches of saddle leather and flint that give way to blackcurrant, peppercorn, chargrilled meats, black olives and garrigue. The full-bodied palate has understated, iodine-laced flavors, finely chalky tannins and fresh acidity, and its latent finish suggests it has more to reveal in time. Give it 3-5+ years in bottle.
Rating: 93+
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.