Winemaker Notes
It’s tough to describe how an intense boysenberry, dark-chocolate profile can be so fresh and airy yet 2018 Syrah So Hot somehow combines this depth and darkness with happy brightness. Hovering just under the high-toned fruit lies crunchy dried herbs and some savory olive tapenade. When young, leave the bottle open for at least an hour or decant to allow for the wine to flesh out and become more intriguingly complex rather than just fun and super yum.
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2018 So Fresh Syrah So Hot Right Now is a touch denser and more serious than the others in the So Fresh lineup, with a medium ruby-purple color and aromas of black and blue berries with tones of milk chocolate, mint leaves and licorice. The palate is medium-bodied, savory and perfumed with a firm but fresh frame and long finish.
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Wine Enthusiast
This unsulfured Syrah is fresh in aromas of boysenberry, purple flowers and dark earth. They lead into a snappy zesty palate of dark purple fruits, soy, charred beef and rosemary. The tannins are very aggressive right now, but the flavors are deep and should hold up for 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.