Ramey Wine Cellars, Petaluma Gap, Sonoma Coast (Sonoma County, California) Syrah 2015

 Dave Ramey always makes good to great wines, but the one variety he seems to repeatedly excel at is Syrah, especially Syrah in the style it achieves when grown and made into wine in the Northern Rhône Valley.  Ramey would probably be quick to add that it is the terroir that dictates style, to which the reply would be that great winemakers seem to search out terroir and grape varieties that yield for them the kinds of wine they like to make and drink.  Which comes first?  It is also a truism that great Syrah is grown on poor soils in windy venues – the Mistral-haunted Rhône and the breezy Templeton Gap in Paso Robles and Petaluma Gap in Sonoma, which is where Ramey 2015 Rodgers Creek Vineyard has its origin.  On the western side of Sonoma Mountain, the block – Syrah 877 with 5% Viognier – was planted in 2002 to Ramey’s specifications.  The wine is rich in deep black raspberry flavors and aromas with the requisite brambles-like savory components, some earthy tones that lean toward unsweetened chocolate, and walnuty tannins that add significantly to the overall flavor impact.  (One could tease out many auxiliary notes, but these will do.)  Ramey himself notes the wine has “almost Pinot Noir texture and balance,” a sometimes resemblance between the two varieties that is seldom noted.  Even though it is the 2015 and the current vintage, the Syrah is still tasting very young.  Decant, hide away, or buy multiple bottles.