Winemaker Notes
The 2022 Las Colinas Syrah boasts a vibrant garnet core with a subtle purple hue, setting the stage for its robust balance of fruit and earth. Aromas of dried Bing cherry and fresh cranberry beckon alongside juniper berry, savory cedar, and a touch of new leather. Following on the palate, flavors of fresh black plum and bright umeboshi are deftly grounded by notes of dried shiitake, herbs de Provence, and freshly turned humus. Despite its depth, the 2022 Las Colinas moves with grace, with mid-weight tannins and an agile, energetic mouthfeel that leads to a comforting and quietly persistent finish.
Professional Ratings
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Jeb Dunnuck
The 2022 Syrah Las Colinas is a blend from the vineyards of both Dusty Land and Harrison Grade. Pouring a youthful magenta/purple hue, it’s expressive and forward in the glass with aromas of menthol, blackberries, black pepper, and purple flowers. The palate offers refreshing acidity, with medium-bodied richness, ripe tannins, and a clean stony finish. It’s a highly charming and versatile Syrah that will drink its best over the coming 6-8 years.
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Vinous
The 2022 Syrah Las Colinas is a deep, potent wine. The combination of intense, dark 2022 fruit intermingled with a touch of savoriness from the 20% whole clusters makes for a dynamic Syrah that marries power with finesse. Everything is dialed up to the maximum here. I would give the 2022 a year or so in bottle, as it is very much the extrovert today. Then again, I expect it will always be a pretty racy wine.
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Wine Spectator
The 2022 Syrah Las Colinas comes from the organically certified Dusty Lane Vineyard and the biodynamic, Demeter-certified Harrison Grade Vineyard. Fermented with 20% whole clusters and matured for 20 months in used, 500-liter French puncheons, initial wafts of flint, chargrill and tar give way to blackcurrant and cherry, black olives, iron and violet on the nose. The full-bodied palate features concentrated, nuanced flavors. It’s structured by fine-grained tannins and fresh acidity and has a long, iron-laced finish.
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.