Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Wine Enthusiast
Dark aromas of black currant and black olive meet with charred beef and supple herbs of dill and anise on this wine's excellent nose. The sip is very full and hefty in body, allied with a juicy acidity and fruity character of concentrated blackberry that's imminently appealing. More elegant touches of lavender, rosemary and incense round out the palate.
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Wilfred Wong of Wine.com
The 2014 Stolpman Vineyards Estate Grown Syrah reveals how significant the Ballard Canyon AVA can be. This wine is bright, active, and generous, and it stays away from the heaviness that surrounding AVAs sometimes exhibit. From start to finish, this wine shows a nice mix of red and black fruits, earth and chalk notes, and an almost citrusy bite. Drinks nicely now. (Tasted: October 19, 2016, San Francisco, CA)
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.”
Accounting for only ten percent of the greater Santa Ynez AVA, Ballard Canyon’s north-south orientation provides an ideal pattern of sunshine and martime fog for producing excellent Syrah. While Syrah is planted to half of the total AVA acreage, an additional third is dedicated to other Rhône varieties, red and white.