2008 Kick Ranch Syrah

Sonoma County

As those who know me would attest, I am a perfume-maven when it comes to all wine, and particularly Syrah. Syrah should, at its best, bridge the gap between its inherent power and grace. It should be a dancing Machiavellian; a genuflecting Napolean. It should be Hulk Hogan dressed in leopard-print bra and matching panties. Actually, that is just scary and I take it back. You get my point though, Syrah should ebulliate aromatics. To this end, winemakers have a couple potent tools. One is the use of whole-clusters, and the other is the use of Viognier. The Old Lakeville, due to its very cold site, is a perfect candidate for the former—and the inclusion of whole clusters amps up the exotic spice notes and pop. At the warmer Kick Ranch, I prefer Viognier to be the top note; its floral bump ratcheting skyward the bestial primacy of the Syrah. For the 2008 I cofermented 6% Viognier with clones 383, 470, and 877 from the rocky hillsides of the rancho. The resulting wine is the biggest of the offering in all things—in fruit, aromatics, ripeness, and alcohol. It is a hedonistic boom-BAH of a wine, and is going to provide a lot of drinking pleasure.

Stephen Tanzer’s International Wine Cellar, May/Jun 10

($30; includes 8% co-fermented viognier) Glass-staining purple. A full-blown, fruit-dominated bouquet displays blueberry, boysenberry and smoky Indian spices. Lush and creamy in texture, offering nearly liqueur-like black and blue fruit flavors framed by supple tannins. The spicy note returns on the finish, which is smooth, broad and impressively persistent. This will drink well young. No stems were used in making this wine.

91 points

125 cases made

$30 | Sold Out.