2009 Wind Gap Syrah Sonoma Coast
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Tasting notes
(made from fruit grown in the Nellessen, Armagh and Majik vineyards; 100% whole-cluster fermented and 12.6% alcohol, with a pH of 3.76): Opaque purple. Explosively perfumed bouquet of red and dark berry preserves, potpourri and Indian spices, with a smoky undertone. Supple, gently sweet dark berry flavors provide impressive palate coverage and gain spiciness with air. Plenty of energy on the sweet, spicy finish.
Critic scores
Average Score
Stephen Tanzer, Vinous
Jeb Dunnuck
More reviews and scores
The 2009 Syrah is a big step up from the 2008. It boasts gorgeous richness and depth in its fruit in a suave style that is undeniably appealing. Plums, black cherries, savory herbs, tapenade and licorice flow from this juicy, fleshy Syrah. The 2009 shows quite a bit more varietal character than the 2008. The vineyard sources are the same, except that Clary Ranch accounts for 50% of the fruit in the 2009 and only 30% in the 2008. The 2009 was made with 100% whole clusters and spent 18 months in neutral oak barrels.
The 2009 Syrah is a big step up from the 2008. It boasts gorgeous richness and depth in its fruit in a suave style that is undeniably appealing. Plums, black cherries, savory herbs, tapenade and licorice flow from this juicy, fleshy Syrah. The 2009 shows quite a bit more varietal character than the 2008. The vineyard sources are the same, except that Clary Ranch accounts for 50% of the fruit in the 2009 and only 30% in the 2008. The 2009 was made with 100% whole clusters and spent 18 months in neutral oak barrels. Anticipated maturity: 2012-2019. I was deeply impressed with many of the wines I tasted from Wind Gap and proprietors Pax and Pamela Mahle. The estate favors cooler, marginal sites. The wines are made with a very natural approach, which is to say the grapes are crushed by foot, aging is largely done in neutral oak and the wines are bottled without fining or filtration. Best of all, many of these wines sell for very reasonable prices. Readers should note that Mahle’s Agharta line-up is reviewed separately. Pax Mahle told me he plans to re-launch his Pax label in the near future. Tel. (707) 887-9100; www.windgapwines.com
Decidedly cool-climate and racy, with a more tangy acidity than I remember (reviewed in Issue 10), the 2009 Wind Gap Sonoma Coast Syrah offers up a lively bouquet of raspberry, pomegranate, smoked game, wild herbs, and pepper to go with a medium-bodied, clean, and balanced palate. There is good ripeness here, yet it leans heavily towards the cool-climate spectrum on both the nose and palate, and the acid level is something to watch here. Nevertheless, it is certainly an outstanding bottle of wine that delivers loads of character. Give bottles another year of so, and then enjoy over the following 5-6 years.