Winemaker Notes
Super giving and generous, the Estate Grown Syrah will be the cuvee that proves the magic of the 2018 growing season for all who taste it. The first red wine release from our Ballard Canyon estate, it represents an unprecedented leap in "yum quotient" I couldn't have dreamt possible when I took over the company 10 years ago. The thick, tantalizing red fruit through the palate bears a strong correlation to the best 2018 St. Joseph Syrah bottlings we tasted on our team's June 2019 trip to France. I am thrilled we locked in the current fresh profile and bottled in early September, just over 10 months after harvesting. The fierce red fruit bursting through the palate brings me back to the cellar of Gonon while the hint of tar brooding beneath reminds me of Monier Perreol. As the wine opens in the glass, more soul begins to emerge out of the pure prettiness. Not only is this wine a bombshell out of the gate, it will only begin to peak in 3-4 more years.
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Medium ruby purple, the 2018 Syrah Estate opens with bright, fresh blackcurrants, aniseed, tar and laurel on the nose. The palate is medium-bodied with lifted, juicy, floral-laced fruits and finishes long and uplifted.
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Wine Enthusiast
Clean aromas of boysenberry, wet stone and sifted ash show on the lively nose of this bottling. The palate is intensely grippy with earthy tension, combining freshly smashed berry flavors with aromatic rosewater flavors and just a hint of game.
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Jeb Dunnuck
Blended with 2% Viognier, the 2018 Syrah Estate Grown reveals a saturated purple color as well as a lively bouquet of spiced red and blue fruits, ground pepper, violets, and a touch of cedary herbs. Medium-bodied, fresh, and focused, it's a classy Syrah to drink over the coming 7-8 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.