Winemaker Notes
#89 Wine Spectator Top 100 of 2025
In The Rocks Syrah can stand tall alongside the great co-fermented wines of the Northern Rhone. Aromas of red and blue fruits, ripe apricot, sandalwood, white flowers, quill ink, charcuterie, and wet stone waft in the glass. It is pure bliss. The wine is refined and elegant. It is truly a pure representation of Syrah.
Professional Ratings
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Vinous
The 2022 Syrah In the Rocks seduces with its savory, earthy, herbal bouquet, mixing seared meats with olive tones, sage and clove. It soothes the palate with cooling acidity as a sensation of liquid stone envelops the senses. Silken in feel yet lifted, almost airy, it seems to hover across the palate with depths of mineral-infused black fruits as a crunchy tension forms toward the close. Amazingly complex and beautifully balanced, the 2022 exhibits class and exoticism, leaving edgy tannins offset by a bump of vibrant acidity and a bitter blackberry tinge.
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Decanter
The aromatics from this Syrah with a Viognier coferment are haunting, with rich notes of black plum, salty smoked soy and a ferrous, iron borne minerality. Crafted from the estate, In the Rocks Vineyard, planted in 2005, launching the Reynvaan brand as their first planting in the now famous Rocks District on the Oregon side of the Walla Walla Valley. The palate is rich, meaty and a display of balanced hedonism. Spiced black berry fruits, rich smoky umami depth and an undeniable meatiness that absolutely drapes the finish in smoky gamy richness.
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Jeb Dunnuck
A yin-yang of bacon and violet combine aromatically to open the 2022 Syrah In the Rocks, which is layered and sublime in garrigue, crushed rock, and more bacon. Co-fermented with Viognier, hints of white pepper close things out on a full-bodied, concentrated, still grippy finish. Age another 10-12 years.
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James Suckling
Wild blueberries, olive tapenade and wet earth on the nose, as well as thyme and cracked pepper. It’s full-bodied, earthy and savory, with polished tannins. Powerful and peppery, but very approachable. Drink from 2026.
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Wine Spectator
Deeply structured yet agile on its feet, with expressive flavors of raspberry and blueberry flanked by crushed stone, black olive, bay leaf and smoked meat tones that flesh out on the zesty ending.
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.