Winemaker Notes
The 2017 G2 Syrah is composed of 90% Syrah, 6% Grenache, and 4% Mourvedre. This Syrah is soft and smooth. The nose has a combination of smoked meats, blueberry, and dried herbs. 22 months in new French oak and 30% whole cluster fermentation gives this wine a ton of complexity and structure.
Professional Ratings
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Jeb Dunnuck
The more Syrah-dominated 2017 G2 Vineyard (there's 4% each of Grenache and Mourvèdre) offers an fresh, juicy, vibrant bouquet of blueberries, crushed violets, blood orange, and ground pepper as well as a floral quality that would easily lead me to believe there was some Viognier in the blend. Again, the purity of fruit is remarkable.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
A blend of 90% Syrah, 6% Grenache and 4% Mourvèdre, made with 33% whole cluster and aged 20 months in 90% new oak, the 2017 G2 has a medium to deep ruby color and open, spicy nose with mint chocolate, cured meats, white pepper and floral aromas over a core of crushed blackcurrants, blackberries and red berry jam. The medium to full-bodied palate is intense and inviting, with great freshness, a grainy frame and loads of savory fruits, finishing long and layered.
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Wine Spectator
Offers presence and polish, with a core of lively acidity and tannins wrapped in richly structured blueberry, brown baking spice and crushed rock accents. Syrah, Grenache and Mourvèdre. Drink now through 2029.
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.”
Paso Robles has made a name for itself as a source of supple, powerful, fruit-driven Central Coast wines. But with eleven smaller sub-AVAs, there is actually quite a bit of diversity to be found in this inland portion of California’s Central Coast.
Just east over the Santa Lucia Mountains from the chilly Pacific Ocean, lie the coolest in the region: Adelaida, Templeton Gap and (Paso Robles) Willow Creek Districts, as well as York Mountain AVA and Santa Margarita Ranch. These all experience more ocean fog, wind and precipitation compared to the rest of the Paso sub-appellations. The San Miguel, (Paso Robles) Estrella, (Paso Robles) Geneso, (Paso Robles) Highlands, El Pomar and Creston Districts, along with San Juan Creek, are the hotter, more western appellations of the greater Paso Robles AVA.
This is mostly red wine country, with Cabernet Sauvignon and Zinfandel standing out as the star performers. Other popular varieties include Merlot, Petite Sirah, Petit Verdot, Syrah, Grenache and Rhône blends, both red and white. There is a fairly uniform tendency here towards wines that are unapologetically bold and opulently fruit-driven, albeit with a surprising amount of acidity thanks to the region’s chilly nighttime temperatures.