2021 DuMOL Wild Mountainside Syrah Russian River Valley California USA

Winemaker Notes
This is a glorious expression of cool climate coastal Syrah, and certainly the sleeper/insider bottling of the entire vintage. The wine has a kaleidoscopic range of aromas and flavors that really elevates it, and it’s the qualitative equal of Eddie’s Patch to be released this fall. The wine combines hillside vineyards in opposing northeast and southwest corners of the appellation, and blends soils of volcanic- and marine-origin and heritage vine selections. It’s the perfect diverse combination. A run of three warm days with low humidity in late-September brought a flush of ripeness in these two vineyards, yet the nights remained cool, so the fruit was able to retain all its complex aromatic character. A thread of white and black pepper and floral violets constantly weaves through the wine both aromatically and as a flavoring component. That’s the heart of the wine and the secret to its complexity. The flavors are precise, not too heavy, not too fruity but brimming with nuance and detail.

Soaring multi-dimensional aromatic complexity that is quite dramatic. Violet, dark berry pastille, graphite, and black olive. Bright peppery component with deep succulent blue and black fruits—really sings of its cool climate origins. Simultaneously layered and deep yet beautifully pure and lifted. Focused, granular tannins, powerful but never edgy. Lingering complexity—dusty cocoa and dried herbs. Decant for an hour in its youth. Drink between late-2023 and 2031.

Press
Rated 96 Points Galloni, Vious
The 2021 Syrah Wild Mountainside is a blend from Hoppe-Kelly and Dutton-Gregori, done with 50% stems. Savory, peppery overtones meld into a core of blackberry, licorice, espresso, chocolate and menthol. The strong character of these cool-climate coastal sites comes though loud and clear. This is a terrific showing. - By Antonio Galloni on January 2024