Winemaker Notes
The 2017 Estate Syrah shows both perfumed fruit and savory depth, beauty and brains. Gushing boysenberry juice seeps through the finish, complimented by an outward-stretching mélange of fresh berry flavors. The wine is screamingly delicious and upfront fresh in its youth and I look forward to the coming development of secondary flavors with time in bottle. Worth every cent and then some now but at least 5 fold with a few years in bottle.
Professional Ratings
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Decanter
In 2017, the Estate Syrah from Stolpman Vineyards is lively on the nose, deep and concentrated on the palate, and immediately accessible. 50% whole cluster fermentation, aged in 500L neutral barrels, and contains 2% Viognier. Aromas of wet violets, roasted blackberries and lavender. The palate is juicy and fresh with notes of boysenberry and blackberries. The finish brings one back for more, and the wine is remarkably tucked into place even at this early stage. Drinking Window 2019 - 2035
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Wine Enthusiast
The Stolpmans play up the coolclimate aspects of Ballard Canyon in this bottling, offering crumbled violets, black-pepper and underripe boysenberry aromas on the nose. The palate sizzles with acidity, delivering fresh berry, pepper spice, thyme and fennel pollen flavors.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Containing 2% Viognier, the medium to deep ruby-purple colored 2017 Syrah Estate has a nose of violet, garrigue, red and black cherries, warm blackberries, olive, underbrush, bacon fat and dark chocolate. Medium to full-bodied, it has a pleasantly chewy frame and great freshness, finishing long. 4,400 cases produced.
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Jeb Dunnuck
The 2017 Syrah Estate Grown (there's 2% Viognier in the blend) saw 50% stems and 10 months in neutral barrels. It has a juicy bouquet of blackberry fruits intermixed with plenty of pepper, cured meats, bouquet garni, and olive nuances. Medium-bodied, nicely textured, and balanced, with firm tannins, this elegant, cool-climate Syrah will evolve gracefully for 10-12 years.
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.