2018 Alban Vineyard, Seymours Vineyard Syrah

ALLOCATED - 4 btls in stock.

One of my first thoughts in setting up my winery was that I would not name wines for family.  My first Syrah was dubbed Reva- which is my mother’s name, almost as a very organic afterthought.  Within moments of unveiling that wine, my father asked, ‘So?’  I quickly realized that was shorthand for: “So when will there be a wine named for me?”  If anyone deserves such a tribute, it is unquestionably my father.  A practicing physician since the age of 21, part of the army aircorp during World War II, planning to retire now that he is 93, Sy is the care giver we all dream to find when the time comes that we are in need.

Atop the most distant peak from our winery and main vineyard there is a dense vein of flint that is mixed with chalk and sandstone.  This soil produces the grapes that make Seymour’s: aromatics of Asian spices, and flavors of smoked meats, graphite, and licorice.  This syrah is our most structured and broad.  

Like Reva and Lorraine, Seymour’s is aged 3.5 years in a mix of new and used French oak barrels after undergoing open top fermentation by its native yeasts; then bottle unfined and unfiltered.

"Deep ruby-purple, the 2018 Syrah Seymour's Vineyard features intense cassis fruit with accents of cracked pepper, menthol, bitter chocolate, garrigue and lavender—there's a compelling density and purity to these aromatics. The palate is concentrated and powerful yet powdery and seamless, slowly opening its floral and peppery layers. Long and elegant yet very tightly wound, it's a world-class Syrah with tremendous aging potential. This will be released in the spring of 2023." 98+ Robert Parker

"Lastly, and another perfect wine, the 2018 Syrah Seymour's is a tiny production release (bottled only in magnum) that comes from a windswept, higher elevation vineyard of very thin soils. It's always the most structured and powerful of the trio of Syrah, and the 2018 is no exception, offering an incredible array of cassis, blackcurrants, smoky earth, cured meats, and liquid violets. It reminds me of the 2015 Côte Rôtie La Turque from Guigal with its pure, masculine, meaty Syrah character and is full-bodied, perfectly balanced, and lengthy. It's just insanely good, although not for those looking for instant gratification. It deserves 5-6 years of bottle age and will evolve for decades if stored properly." 100 Jeb Dunnuck