Wine & Spirits - February 2018 - 40

YEAR'S BEST US SYRAH & GRENACHE
Brown doesn't put into his Rattlesnake Rock
or Corral syrahs, this is a cool, foresty wine.
Crisp red-apple-skin notes meld with rich
crushed-strawberry flavors, while an iodine
note, a scent of kelp, adds some coastal complexity. (295 cases)
508574

92 | Pax

$70

2013 Russian River Valley Castelli-Knight
Ranch Syrah ^ Pax Mahle starting farming
this site in 2001, a hillside facing north and
northeast where vines grow in rocky orangeclay soils. He ferments this wine as whole
bunches, aging it in neutral oak, encouraging syrah's wild aromas to rise out of the glass
in scents of crushed green peppercorns, juniper and lavender. The flavors are meaty and
full, weighty with tannins, finishing savory
and rustic. Pour it with a thick-cut lamb chop
and the density of the wine will become an
asset while the aroma will sing. (W&S 12/17;
368 cases)
449506

92 | Wilde Farm

$36

2014 Bennett Valley Cardiac Hill Vineyard
Syrah ^ Grown on a volcanic hillside exposed
to the cool winds of the Petaluma Gap, and
made by Wind Gap winemaker Pax Mahle,
this feels like a blockbuster at first-chewy
and ripe, with a candied strawberry tone. As
it takes on air it gets a lot more interesting,
the structure maintaining its grip but growing finer and dustier while drawing in lifted
aromas of peppercorn and hibiscus, settling
into a smooth, satisfying and complex richness. Age it for a few years, then open it for
ribeye. (W&S 8/17; 185 cases) -L.S.

providing the kind of abrasion that will work
with grilled fennel sausages. (156 cases)
509386

91 | Anthill Farms

91 | Dutton-Goldfield

91 | Piedrasassi

92 | Zaca Mesa

$65

2014 Santa Ynez Valley Estrella Estate
Vineyard Syrah ^ Zaca Mesa planted syrah
in Santa Barbara County in 1978, helping to launch what is now a community of
Rhône-variety specialists in the region. This
wine comes from three blocks planted to
the Estrella clone. Its overriding impression
is fragrant and cool, even as its salty young
tannins have the rich, savory bitterness of
unsweetened chocolate. There's an allspice
and black-peppercorn crunch to the finish,
40

WINE & SPIRITS

FEBRUARY 2018

$55

2015 Santa Maria Valley Bien Nacido
Vineyard Syrah ^ As meaty and black as blood
sausage, this needs decanting to bring out its
blueberry sweetness. The broad tannins take
time to come into focus, developing into a
smooth, creamy texture that surrounds the
wine's tougher iron-rich edges. Pour it with a
New York strip off a cast-iron grill. (270 cases)
450227
$30

2014 Edna Valley Sawyer Lindquist Vineyard Syrah (Best Buy) ^ This feels almost
overstuffed at first, constricted in black tannins and smoky oak-it will need several
years in bottle to show its full depth of flavor.
As it takes on air, it begins to shed some of
its briny black-olive intensity, making room
for a fragrant rosemary scent and meaty,
umami-driven length. A juicy blue fruit flavor emerges, smoothing its edges and making its savory aspects sing. (W&S 8/17; 643
cases) -L.S.
509399

90 | Bonny Doon

$26

2013 Central Coast Le Pousseur Syrah
(Best Buy) ^ Refreshingly bright, this spicy
syrah has light, earthy tannins that lend the
red fruit a salty, savory edge. Built for current enjoyment, this is ready to serve with
carnitas.

$50

2014 Russian River Valley Dutton Ranch
Cherry Ridge Vineyard Syrah ^ Purple and
luscious when first poured, with a vanillin
scent of oak, this shows its cooler aspects
with air. It comes from a south-facing site on
the southwestern end of the Russian River
Valley, just north of the Petaluma Gap, and
feels both sunny and breezy, a delicious floral
tone lifting its plump fruit. It's a spicy, satisfying syrah for a pork chop. (W&S 10/17; 607
cases) -L.S.
509799

91 | Qupé

509537

$32

2015 Sonoma Coast Campbell Ranch
Vineyard Syrah (Best Buy) ^ Steve Campbell farms this vineyard in Annapolis, at the
northwestern corner of the Sonoma Coast,
where his 20-year-old syrah vines grow on
Goldridge soil. The Anthill team ferments
it with stems (60 percent whole bunches),
then ages it in neutral French oak barrels.
Focused on the umami tones of fruity wild
mushrooms, this syrah develops an earthy
red undertone along with a ping of brightness as the flavors take on air. It's soft and
pretty, for beef tenderloin. (140 cases)
507954

of blackberries and bear scat turn toward
fresher notes of chaparral. It's savory and
gamey, with tart berry flavors and woodland
notes that continue to evolve. Decant this if
you open it now, to pour with roast boar.
509402

$50

2013 Santa Maria Valley X-Block Bien Nacido Vineyard Syrah ^ X-Block comes from the
same parcel that Bob Lindquist made famous
with his Qupé Reserve. This wine shows itself
in the finish, where the initial thick scents

509262

90 | Lawer Estates

$34

90 | Piedrasassi

$55

90 | Piedrasassi

$65

90 | Red Car

$72

2014 Knight's Valley Betsy's Vineyard
Syrah (Best Buy) ^ Rich in its earthy tannins,
this seems more Knight's Valley than syrah,
more akin to a full-bodied cabernet from
these hills between Calistoga and Santa Rosa.
Supple, mouthcoating and fully oaked, this
is a syrah for a steak. (226 cases)
509798
2015 Sta. Rita Hills Sebastiano Vineyard
Syrah ^ The coastal influence of the Sta. Rita
Hills is apparent in this wine's notes of kelp
and salt, adding a brisk edge to the blackberry flavors. Tough and tight, it's a compact,
young wine needing a year or two in bottle to
mellow. (200 cases)
509800
2015 Arroyo Grande Valley Rim Rock
Vineyard Syrah ^ The scent of whole-cluster
fermentation comes first, green and stemmy
with juniper spice, before this opens to brisk
red fruit. Lively and youthful, this will benefit
from a few years in bottle. (170 cases)
450078
2013 Fort Ross-Seaview Estate Vineyard
Syrah ^ From a warm, dry vintage, this may
lack some of the savory drive of the best
Sonoma Coast syrahs, but it's pretty delicious
juice, soft and enveloping, with peppercorn
spice accenting its deep purple, plummy
fruit. (W&S 10/17)
449503

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Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Wine & Spirits - February 2018