Winemaker Notes
The 2016 swooshes out of the bottle with a rich, decadent profile. At first blush, the wine comes out with a wave of piercingly pure purple - perfectly ripe, firm plums. With a few swirls the savory meaty, leather notes arrive. Then, a surge of high-toned energy emerges and a red tinge begins to layer and surround the evolving darker notes of blueberries, cinnamon, and chicory. Even youthful, the wine is unexpectedly refined and balanced – an Estate Syrah Edition for the ages. this middle ground – not jammy or gloppy like a warmer climate Syrah – but not austere and hollow like many young cold climate Syrahs.
Just a baby now, the primary flavors will surely unfurl into more complex, seamless layers. While the ideal drinking window begins around 2018, our leap forward in winemaking methodology allows for early enjoyment as well.
Professional Ratings
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Vinous
The 2016 Syrah Estate Grown is a savory, meaty, peppery wine that remains in the flush of youth. Gamey animal tones open first then blossom into blueberry, lavender, mint and spice, all carried on an inky frame that lingers long without excess weight. This powerful Syrah maintains exceptional balance from beginning to end, and it still has plenty of life left in the tank.
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Jeb Dunnuck
Made with 50% whole clusters, the 2016 Syrah Estate Grown sports a deep purple/opaque color as well youthful notes of black raspberries, plums, peppery herbs and smoked earth. Ripe, sexy and polished, with terrific tannin quality, it's going to be a charmer to drink in its youth.
Range: 90-92 -
Wine Enthusiast
Compact elderberry aromas and purple flowers mesh with savory touches of roasted beef and black pepper on the nose of this bottling, which is quite young. Black-currant and lilac flavors pop on the sip before the tightly woven structure temporarily hides them, though they will surely arise in the years to come. Drink 2020–2036. Cellar Selection
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.