2017 Torrin Akasha

Always all Syrah, the 2017 Syrah Akasha comes from the Shadow Canyon, Bien Nacido, and Full Draw vineyards and was aged in French oak for 22 months followed by another 12 months in bottle. It's not too dissimilar from the Le Devoir cuvée and has gorgeous notes of blackberries, white pepper, violets, smoked game, and spring flowers. Just about pure perfection on the palate, with full-bodied richness, a focused, elegant texture, building structure, and a great finish, it's a stunning Syrah by any measure. It's going to benefit from a year or three of bottle age and keep for over a decade.

The 2017 Akasha comes from Bien Nacido and Shadow Canyon and is another pure, concentrated Syrah from this terrific estate. Cassis, black raspberries, blueberries, charred meats, chocolate, and hints of salty minerality all give way to a full-bodied, ripe, pure Syrah that has ultra-fine tannins, no hard edges, and a huge finish. The 2016 vintage for Paso Robles was a beauty and Torrin’s Scott Hawley has certainly made the most of it. The 2016s are some of the finest wines in the vintage and you can’t go wrong with any of them. The 2017s also showed beautifully, and while I think they’re a small step back over the 2016s, they’re unquestionably brilliant wines in the making. The Hawleys also recently completed construction on a new winery off Peachy Canyon road, with their 2017s being the first vintage made at the new facility. In addition to the Torrin releases, the Hawleys also release a great lineup of Chardonnay and Pinot Noirs under their Lagom label, which I’ve also included here.