Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2018 Syrah Originals Estate has a medium ruby-purple color and classic scents of tar, licorice and violet with a core of cassis and wafts of mint chocolate. The palate is medium-bodied with very pretty, floral-laced fruits, finely grainy and super fresh with a long, lifted finish. What a gorgeous, elegant expression this vintage!
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Jeb Dunnuck
Also brought up in neutral oak, the 2018 Syrah Originals offers a more exotic bouquet of mulberries, blackberries, salted meats, new leather, and pepper. This medium-bodied, nicely textured, elegant wine has quality tannins, good acidity, and plenty of charm. It will benefit from 1-2 years of bottle age and keep for at least 7-8 years or more. Rating: 91+
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.