2022 Peake Ranch "John Sebastiano Vineyard" Sta. Rita Hills Syrah

The 2022 Syrah John Sebastiano Vineyard is one of the highlights of the vintage at Peake Ranch. The 2022 is explosive, deep and quite powerful, all signatures of John Sebastiano. The decision to work with fully destemmed fruit further accents those qualities. Deep blue/purplish fruit, lavender, spice and menthol build into the sumptuous finish. (AG)

Peake Ranch's Syrah from John Sebastiano Vineyard might just be the sleeper wine in the lineup! Although, with this wine consistently scoring over 95 points from top critics, it's hardly flying under the radar anymore. John Sebastiano is a spectacular vineyard in a near-perfect location. A steep, dramatic, west-facing hillside site, John Sebastiano sits toward the center of the Sta. Rita Hills, feeling the full brunt of the relentless onshore winds funneling down the valley. The vines here are aggressively buffeted and cooled by ocean breezes, producing deeply concentrated, flavorful grapes. These persistent winds, not unlike the famed Mistral that whips through the Northern Rhône Valley, also make this a late-ripening site, where fruit is often harvested in November, yet still at very moderate alcohol levels. The result is a powerful mélange of deep, smoky red and black fruits, cured meat, dried dark roses, cracked black pepper, and forest berry compote. Even with a warmer-than-typical finish to the growing season, this wine proudly flaunts its true cool-climate Syrah character and clocks in at just 13.5% ABV. It's a wine that loves a good 45-minute decant and ideally a hearty plate of braised meat or winter pot roast. Exceptional Syrah from one of the crown jewel vineyards of the Sta. Rita Hills!