2019 Pasxa Syrah River Rock
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The vivid purple-hued 2019 Syrah SJR Vineyard comes from a great vineyard in the Rocks region of Walla Walla. Offering up a beautiful perfume of red plums, blueberries, peppery herbs, wood smoke, iron, and violets, it hits the palate with medium to full-bodied richness, silky, polished tannins, and a great, great finish. It's a stunningly elegant, balanced, seamless Syrah to enjoy over the coming 10-15 years.
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Jeb Dunnuck
Jeb Dunnuck
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The 2019 Syrah SJR Vineyard offers a Saint-Joseph-like nose (I always seem to find a Northern Rhône style in wines from this vineyard) of violets, black and blue fruits, crushed stone, pepper, and flowers. Gorgeous on the palate and full-bodied, with ripe tannins and a solid sense of freshness and purity, I'm not sure it's going to match the 2018, but we're certainly in the same ballpark quality wise. One of the most exciting new labels out there is PÁŠXA Wines (pronounced “Pahk-sha”), which was created by owner Mike Martin (also behind the incredible wines at The Walls) and focuses on the Rocks region of the Walla Walla Valley. The wines are made by Todd Alexander of Force Majeure, and the vineyards are farmed by Walla Walla Vineyard expert Serafin Saldana. Their 2018s are the first release, but trust me, this is an estate worth jumping on.