There’s nice depth here for a fairly lightly extracted Syrah. Big cherry fruit, fall spice, pepper and wildflower aromas translate beautifully on the palate, with great staying power and integration. If more California Syrah bottling leaned into this style, it wouldn’t be so hard to sell, and there’d be more of it to enjoy. Kudos to Paraiso for leading the charge on the Central Coast.
Alexander-Smith (Paraiso Vineyards), Santa Lucia Highlands (Monterey County, California) Syrah 2016
By Rich Cook