Winemaker Notes
The 2016 Las Colinas Sonoma Coast Syrah exhibits a youthful bouquet of ripe, dark fruit – blackberry, blueberry, and Japanese plum – which is charmingly confirmed on the palate. Further exploration yields violets intermingling with dried thyme, rosemary, and marjoram, along with a touch of young black peppercorn and olive tapenade. A savory hint of bacon adds intriguing complexity, while modest tannins and earthen components of black truffle and forest floor round out the palate.
Professional Ratings
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Jeb Dunnuck
The 2016 Syrah Las Colinas sees a solid chunk of stems (31%) and is brought up all in neutral oak, This ruby/purple-hued effort offers a Côte Rôtie-like vibe in its floral, bacon fat, violet, and both black and blue fruited style. It's elegant, seamless, very pretty and pure, and beautifully balanced, with loads of exotic characteristics, fine tannins, and a great finish. Drink it over the coming decade.
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.