Winemaker Notes
This Syrah is marked by notes of cured meat, olive tapenade and leather. Aged in large format, mostly neutral oak barrels and fermented in concrete, this is a brilliant expression of a very special growing area.
Blend: 75% Syrah, 25% Grenache
Professional Ratings
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Jeb Dunnuck
Coming all from the Rocks region of Walla Walla, the 2021 Mahana is 73% Syrah and 27% Grenache that was destemmed and will spend 18 months in larger format oak. Red, blue, and black fruits as well as notes of peppery underbrush, sappy herbs, and damp earth define the aromatics, and it’s medium to full-bodied, has a seamless mouthfeel, moderate acidity, and fine tannins. It picks up a classic Syrah bacon fat nuance with air and is a gorgeous wine in the making.
Range: 94-96 -
James Suckling
An attractive saline, mineral quality distinguishes this elegant but full-bodied wine blended from 75% syrah and 25% grenache. Light, smoky, stony, white pepper accents complement black fruit and subtle oak spices for nice complexity.
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Wine Spectator
Deeply structured but polished, with detailed blackberry and blueberry flavors that are laced with tapenade, smoked meat and cracked pepper tones that end with refined tannins. Syrah and Grenache. Drink now through 2033. 375 cases made.
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.”
A coveted source of top quality red grapes among premier Washington producers, the Red Mountain AVA is actually the smallest appellation in the state. As its name might suggest, it is actually neither a mountain nor is it composed of red earth. Instead the appellation is an anticline of the Yakima fold belt, a series of geologic folds that define a number of viticultural regions in the surrounding area. It is on the eastern edge of Yakima Valley with slopes facing southwest towards the Yakima River, ideal for the ripening of grapes. The area’s springtime proliferation of cheatgrass, which has a reddish color, actually gives the area the name, "Red" Mountain.
Red Mountain produces some of the most mineral-driven, tannic and age-worthy red wines of Washington and there are a few reasons for this. It is just about the hottest appellation with normal growing season temperatures commonly reaching above 90F. The soil is particularly poor in nutrients and has a high pH, which results in significantly smaller berry sizes compared to varietal norms. The low juice to skin ratio in smaller berries combined with the strong, dry summer winds, leads to higher tannin levels in Red Mountain grapes.
The most common red grape varieties here are Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Syrah, among others. Limited white varieties are grown, namely Sauvignon blanc.
The reds of the area tend to express dark black and blue fruit, deep concentration, complex textures, high levels of tannins and as previously noted, have good aging capabilities.