Syrah "La Cruz" (Petaluma Gap) 2019

Tasting note

Syrah unlike any other. Silky transparency and excitingly ethereal intensity in aroma and effect. Ultra-precise, penetrating, profound and long on the palate, carried by goosebump freshness and grippingly cool density. A masterpiece of sensitive extraction. There are only 3 casks of this rare jewel from a great vintage. Joanna Wells, Jamie Kutch's young winemaker, runs her biodynamic project "Model Farm" together with her husband on less than 0.8 hectares on the grounds of a biodynamic cooperative in the Petaluma Gap, the cool gateway to the Sonoma Coast, the youngest and one of the best growing areas in California for Syrah, Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. Wind and fog are its hallmarks. The wind whistles through an opening in the coastal mountains from the Pacific to San Pablo Bay. You can feel this coolness in every sip of this refined, fine Syrah.

2018 is the densest and most powerful that Joanna has produced to date. She crushed the grapes completely with stem and stalk using her feet and then fermented and matured them spontaneously in 500-liter barrels. Without sulphur. Natural wine that wraps itself around the tongue like a silk scarf. Dense and cool, soft and supple, powerful and intense, light and floating in the mouth, the tannins unusually subtle. The aromatic intensity of the wine is reminiscent of the Northern Rhône, but more intense and gripping. Profound craftsmanship. Boldly independent. Syrah of the top class. The American reference, but not a monster of concentration, but effective like great Burgundy. Unique finesse and harmony. California's future in a glass.