Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Jeb Dunnuck
From a vineyard located near the estate and a blend of 95% Syrah and 5% Viognier that saw 25% stems, the deep purple-colored 2016 Syrah Estate In The Hills has a Côte Rôtie-like perfume of red and black raspberries, spring flowers, and smoky, meaty notes. It's softer and more sweetly fruited and sexy than the Rocks-driven Syrahs, has full-bodied richness, ripe tannins, and a beautiful finish.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Containing a splash of Viognier, the 2016 Syrah In The Hills takes a page right from the playbook of the Northern Rhône. With vibrant aromas bursting from the glass, the wine opens with a fresh and ripe core of black raspberry, blackberry and fresh flowers with a focus on minerality. On the palate, tones of black pepper are balanced by an elegant oaked expression, with the added lift of red flower petals. The wine is clean and correct, showing stunning finesse and flaunting complexity and layers of depth and breadth on the long, lingering and spicy finish. This is impressive juice that shows a serious focus on high-quality winemaking. 328 cases made. Rating: 94+
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Wine Enthusiast
The aromas draw you into the glass, with notes of orange peel, funk, potpourri, white flower, herbs, black pepper and butcher shop, showing delineation and detail. Light on their feet, exquisitely balanced fruit and savory flavors follow, bringing a sense of deftness. A 60-plus-second, intensely flavorful, flower- and smoked meat-filled finish cap it off. This is all about expression and elegance.
Editors' Choice -
Wine Spectator
Sleek and polished, with a complex core framed by vibrant huckleberry, licorice and pepper beef flavors that take on richness toward refined tannins.
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.”
Responsible for some of Washington’s most highly acclaimed wines, the Walla Walla Valley has experienced a surge in popularity in recent years and is home to both historic wineries and younger, up-and-coming producers.
The Walla Walla Valley, a Native American name meaning “many waters,” is located in southeastern Washington; part of the appellation actually extends into Oregon. Soils here are well-drained, sandy loess over Missoula Flood deposits and fractured basalt.
It is a region perfectly suited to Rhône-inspired Syrahs, distinguished by savory notes of red berry, black olive, smoke and fresh earth. Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot create a range of styles from smooth and supple to robust and well-structured. White varieties are rare but some producers blend Sauvignon Blanc with Sémillon, resulting in a rich and round style, and plantings of Viognier, while minimal, are often quite successful.
Of note within Walla Walla, is one new and very peculiar appellation, called the Rocks District of Milton-Freewater. This is the only AVA in the U.S. whose boundaries are totally defined by the soil type. Soils here look a bit like those in the acclaimed Rhône region of Chateauneuf-du-Pape, but are large, ancient, basalt cobblestones. These stones work in the same way as they do in Chateauneuf, absorbing and then radiating the sun's heat up to enhance the ripening of grape clusters. The Rocks District is within the part of Walla Walla that spills over into Oregon and naturally excels in the production of Rhône varieties like Syrah, as well as the Bordeaux varieties.