This is really beautiful syrah. Sweet and gracious in the nose, a woodsy depth to generous clusters of delicately ripe raspberry and cranberry. So my first instinct–because you all know I am grouchy and grumpy about sweet, gracious wines–is to give it an asterisk as crowd-pleasing and shallow. But the more time I spend with it, the more a couple things come to bear. First of all, no one ever said wine shouldn’t be sweet and gracious. We’re supposed to enjoy it right? And who enjoys an austere, shell-shocked, battery-acid formula with more somms panting after it than actual drinking public who pay the bills? Failed flat-brim, #nattybro, they/them wineshops all over America can vote as many times as they want. And the gracious portion of this wine comes on strong, afflicted with shocking vibrancy while maintaining a barely-plush barrel-programme and dedication to early- and mid-palate ripeness.
And NOTHING detracts from the pure-pinot/syrah essence of it all. Clammy bitter fills the nose, a funk pausing slightly before *dirty-baby-diaper* but nevertheless churning out the kind of peaty wonder demanded by purists. And the fruit. OMG. The delicate complexity creates chasms of conversation on WHERE all that beauty and sweetness is coming from. Meticulously harsh tannins infiltrate the finish, rasping up the berry and bulk with aplomb. I really love this wine. It’s *close* to my personal goals of all-time perfect Syrah. Blind, it could be Pinot, and while that statement will create furrowed brows among most, the wine 1% get it. There’s a fine line between amazingly-thin syrah and moderately-chubby pinot. Find this wine and drink the shit out of it–that’s my score.
2021 PENCE RANCH ‘Estate’ Syrah Santa Rita Hills Santa Barbara Co. 13.6
Stephen McConnell 