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: 2016 Desire Lines "Griffin’s Lair Vineyard" Sonoma Coast Syrah

2016 Desire Lines "Griffin’s Lair Vineyard" Sonoma Coast Syrah (Previously $45)

SKU #1410859 93 points Vinous

Outer quote mark The 2016 Syrah Griffin's Lair Vineyard is a beautifully polished, nuanced wine that captures the personality of this Petaluma Gap site so well. Lavender, spice, leather, black pepper, licorice and dried flowers are all nicely woven together in this sleek, nuanced Syrah from Desire Lines. (AG) Inner quote mark (4/2020)

91 points Connoisseurs Guide

Outer quote mark The two Desire Lines Syrahs tag this tiny producer as a winery definitely worth watching, and, while both are very good efforts that are incisively spicy and marvelously vital that exhibit careful crafting and great persistence, this one gets the nod as our favorite by dint of its ever-so-slightly deeper fruit. It is so nicely composed that it is presently a little too easy to like, but this is a wine that is well worth the investiture of patience, and we see it only getting better and better as the next five or six years come and go. Inner quote mark (10/2019)

K&L Notes

Desire lines are the paths carved by locals, also known as cow paths or kemonomichi—unofficial waypaths. From the winery: "In 2016 the ripening window had been longer thanks to more mild temperatures in late August and early September, and so we decided to pick just before the heat to showcase the purity of the vintage. Like the 2015, the 2016 Griffin's Lair Syrah was fermented with 50% whole cluster, with a submerged cap for the first half of fermentation and raised in neutral large format barrels for 15 months before bottling without fining or filtration. The 2016 is a bit more red-fruited than the 2015, especially after a decant; both strut the bacon, olive tapenade, and black tea that practically shout Griffin’s Lair!"

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2016 Desire Lines "Griffin’s Lair Vineyard" Sonoma Coast Syrah

Price: Hidden

VN: 93

CG: 91

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Varietal:

Shiraz/Syrah

- One of France's noblest black grape varieties, Syrah is known for its intense and distinctive perfume reminiscent of briar fruit, tar, spice and black pepper and its firm structure. One of few black grape varietals frequently vinified on its own, the best examples of Syrah come from the Northern Rhône, particularly Hermitage, but also Côte-Rôtie, Cornas, Crozes-Hermitage and St-Joseph. These wines are very astringent in their youth, though some Crozes-Hermitage and St-Joseph can be enjoyed young, relatively speaking. Given the requisite patience, though, these wines can reveal amazing complexity and secondary fruit characteristics like plum and blackcurrant as well as subtle hints of smoke and flowers. In the Southern Rhône, Syrah is used to add structure and complexity to wines dominated by Grenache and complemented by Mourvèdre, like the more immediately drinkable Côte du Rhônes, as well as the long-lived wines of Châteauneuf-du-Pape. In recent years, plantings of Syrah have spread throughout the Languedoc-Roussillon where it is produced on its own or blended with other varietals. Outside of France, the most important Syrah growing country is easily Australia, where it is called Shiraz. Quality levels here depend greatly on yields and geography, and the wines range from bold, fruity and easy-drinking to intense and ageable, like the famed Penfolds Grange. Often bottled on its own, in Australia Syrah is also can be blended with Grenache and Mourvèdre, as in the Southern Rhône, and is increasingly combined with Cabernet Sauvignon. Syrah has also been steadily increasing in popularity in California, thanks to a group of advocates called the Rhône Rangers. Its most successful iterations come from the Central and Sonoma Coasts, where winemakers are pushing boundaries and creating some incredible wines. In recent years Syrah has also found a number of proponents in Washington State, which is definitely a region to watch for this variety.

Country:

United States

- When people consider domestic wine, they normally think about the state of California. The fine viticultural Region within California, including the Napa Valley, Sonoma, Santa Cruz Mountains, Mendocino and Santa Barbara, are capable of growing grapes of world-class quality. But there's plenty of fabulous wine coming from other states, too. Oregon, Washington and New York are also causing eyebrows (and glassware) to be raised around the world.

Sub-Region:

California

- With the explosive growth that California's wine industry has seen the past several years, it's easy to view winemaking and grape growing in the Golden State as a recent phenomenon. And while it's true that California's viticultural history is brief compared to several European countries, this state's roots date back well over 200 years. Due to the enormous response to California wine within the United States and worldwide, there are thousands of excellent and diverse wines being produced within the state each year.

Specific Appellation:

Sonoma County

- Second in fame only to Napa, this "other" valley offers just about every climate and topography imaginable. From its cool and fog-enshrouded coastal regions on the far west, to the sprawling Alexander Valley on the boarder of Napa and the many little dips and peaks in between, Sonoma has been a vital wine-grape-growing region since the mid 1800s. Important sub-AVAs include Chalk Hill (known for chardonnay and sauvignon blanc), Dry Creek Valley (where zin is king) Knights Valley (largely cabernet land), Russian River Valley and Sonoma Coast (both celebrated pinot and chardonnay zones).