Ellen Clifford

9.2

Textbook Syrah—the nose is black pepper AF, competing with red plum and green olives. The palate brings in all that, plus a slightly meaty finish. It is very slightly bacon and smokey. It is quite smooth, handsome, very collected and poised—all these flavors give their own show but seamlessly and connectedly. Winemaker Amy Christine MW knows her way around a Syrah; this one is ripe and spicy but earthy and elegant. — 18 days ago

Victor Hsu

9.0

Juicy, fruity and perfumed, with balanced sweetness. Excellent food wine but also a fine aperitif or anytime drink. With only 8.5 ABV, this wine is perfect for summer day-drinking. Enjoyed this gem at the Black Sheep restaurant in Santa Barbara. — a year ago

Taylar Hart

8.9

Black Sheep wine dinner at Anchovy Bar — 3 years ago

Jay Kline

9.3

Popped and poured, enjoyed over the course of a couple of hours. The 2017 pours a deep ruby/purple color with a transparent core; medium viscosity with moderate staining of the tears. On the nose, the wine is developing with drop-dead gorgeous notes of mixed bramble fruit, fresh blueberries, freshly cracked black pepper, purple flowers, spiced and grilled kofta, dried green herbs and hot asphalt after a rain. On the palate, the wine is dry with medium tannin and medium+ acid. Confirming the notes from the nose. The finish is medium+. This is a beautiful wine and one of the best New World Syrah’s I’ve had. If Tynan’s “Judge Family” is to Hermitage, The Joy Fantastic’s is to Saint -Joseph. Stunning. Drink now through 2032 — a month ago

Joe Estrada

9.4

This is not your mom’s Rousanne, this is bright, aromatic floral notes and crisp acidity — 5 months ago

Jake Hajer

9.1

Tar, wild blackberry and brine. Intense without being overblown. — 2 years ago

Vanessa

9.0

Happy National Red Wine Day!! 🙌🙌

We’re excited to celebrate with this Columbia Valley Syrah blend from the family-owned L’Ecole No. 41 winery in Washington State. 🇺🇸 @lecole41

Washington State is an important region for Syrah within the United States; however, this grape variety finds its true home in northern Rhône Valley, France. 🇫🇷

Syrah can fare well in warmer (e.g., Hunter Valley or Barossa Valley, Australia) and/or cooler (e.g., northern Rhône) climates. The climate has a pretty big impact on the style and expression of the resulting wine. Try tasting a Barossa Valley Shiraz next to a Syrah from Cornas, Rhône Valley and you may see (and taste) what I mean. 🤔 🧐 😆

The Columbia Valley region benefits from what’s called a “rain shadow” effect thanks to its location to the east of the Cascade mountains. 🏔 🏔The Cascades shield the region from the wet, intense weather coming in from the coast. As a result, the climate is warmer, drier, and sunnier, which supports the ripening process and stresses the vines, enhancing concentration of the fruit. 👍👍

This wine is a blend of 77% Syrah, 21% Grenache, and 2% Mourvedre varieties hailing from the vineyards of Candy Mountain, Stone Tree, Estate Seven Hills, Bacchus, and Summitville. It was fermented in stainless steel and was then racked in small, mostly neutral oak barrels over the course of 18 months.🍷🍷🍷

This wine is medium purple with heavy tearing; it’s full-bodied and jam-packed with ripe blueberry, black cherry, blackberry, and black currant notes, also black pepper, licorice, and leather. 💕💕We’re pairing it, initially, with a bite of Gruyère, Manchego, and fig, followed by grilled brats, portabellas, and zucchinis. It stands up well to the intensity of flavors. — 3 years ago

with Deked1

Ericsson

9.6

I suppose this is considered old wine (or at least in my book it is)... It’s 21 years old to be exact. And it is fascinating, the wine still looks and feels pretty young. Very exuberant with notes of leather, oak, cocoa, tobacco, smoke and baked black berries, some humidity as well. The palate is joy: smooth and velvety with dark fruit, vanilla, chocolate, some dry mushroom and perfectly balanced acidity. It is dry, bold, complex, with medium alcohol. Killer wineshop find!

I wasn’t able to find much info on this wine, any shared knowledge on the comments would really enlighten me. Apparently there is some affiliation with Lafitte… Not comparing, I haven't had the pleasure of tasting it, but this one really blew me out of the water. Cheers to great finds.
— 3 months ago

Joe Estrada

9.1

Earthy& fruity — 9 months ago

Wulf Losee

9.3

2020 opened Feb 2023. Red raspberries nose. Silky and delicate. Red raspberries on front- — 2 years ago