Syrah is a Rhone Wine
Syrah is a big-red-wine-lover’s best friend, with its versatility and bold peppery and spicy flavors. This red wine variety is from the Rhône wine region in Southern France, where it is grown along the long Rhône river valley. The Rhône valley is generally divided into northern and the southern growing regions, which have very different growing conditions, producing 2 distinct styles of Syrah. Northern Rhône has a cooler climate and produces elegant wines with floral, spice and deep peppery tones. The Southern region grows many red grapes, including Syrah that has darker berry flavors, which are also used for Rhône red blends.
Cool-Climate Syrah
Here on the San Luis Obispo Coast, our climate and terroir resembles that of the Northern Rhône, and our Syrah producers focus on achieving complexity and balanced acidity along with the aromatics and spiciness mentioned above. We have 10 wineries with lovely cool-climate Syrahs–read below for the details listed from south to north!
Southern Charm Arroyo Grande
Talley 2021 Syrah. Talley Vineyards Syrah is a dense and elegant wine grown in the calcareous clay soils of the Rincon Vineyard. The 2020 vintage captures the distinct cool-climate characteristics reminiscent of the northern Rhône region with notes of juicy blackberry, mocha and peppercorn.
Timbre 2020 The Hook Syrah. Velvety purple, inky crimson. beautifully dark the color and shades of syrah tends to draw you in immediately. We get wild blackberry, blueberry, rhubarb pie, and a hint of vanilla.
Edna Valley Back Roads
Baileyana 2021 Estate Syrah. This cool climate Syrah from a single vineyard in the Edna Valley is bright and fresh, beginning with aromas of juicy blueberry, savory blackberry and white pepper on the nose. This is a medium bodied wine with wonderful finesse showcasing integrated flavors of vanilla and cinnamon while letting the bright blueberry and plum notes shine through. The chalky tannins are complemented by new French oak, which offers a toasty undertone that runs throughout.
Baileyana 2020 S-BAR Syrah Reserve. Incredibly smooth with a perfect balance of fruit and acidity. This bottling represents only a small fraction of our total Syrah production and is especially limited.
Kynsi 2021 Syrah Nocturnum. Nocturnum pays homage to our barn owls who “belong to the night.” They protect the ranch at nightfall, maintaining balance of the ecosystem and are a crucial component of sustainability in our vineyard. It showcases deep aromas of black currant and sandstone with sweet hyacinth florals and flavors of white pepper and huckleberry juice on the long, complex finish.
Kynsi 2021 Syrah Kalanna. The original project of Othman daughters Kala and Anna, the first vintage was produced in 2003 and was met with high acclaim. It offers scents of wild berries, espresso powder and anise with concentrated flavors of blackberry and Mexican chocolate.
Wolff 2023 Syrah. Our estate produced Syrah exhibits the Edna Valley grown ocean marine influence taste profile of a Northern Rhone style cool-climate Syrah. Flavors of stewed red berries, black cherry and ripe plum layered with spice and white pepper. Refined tannins provide a full bodied finish with toasty nuances.
Edna Valley Core of the Coast
Biddle Ranch 2021 Syrah. Vibrant and lifted both aromatically and on the palate with stunning, fresh aromas of wild blueberry, red plum, violet and a savory vein of licorice. Classic cool-climate Syrah aromatics offer notes of olive tapenade, clove, and savory herbs. Texturally, the palate presents a stone-laced core of dark fruit and licorice framed by the structural component of fresh acidity on the finish.
Avila Beach
Sinor-LaVallee 2017 Syrah White-Label, Bassi Vineyard. The White Label is reserved for ultra-limited wines that exhibit a leaner expression of Bassi Vineyard. We select clones, blocks, yeasts and barrels that cultivate structure, yielding wines with lower alcohol and higher acidity. These wines are all about litheness and clean site expression.
Sinor-LaVallee 2021 Syrah Estate, Bassi Vineyard. The Estate wines come exclusively from Bassi Vineyard. Because the vineyard falls outside of any recognized AVA, these wines are designated with a San Luis Obispo County appellation. But make no mistake—these are limited-production estate bottlings that speak vividly of a single vineyard.
Sinor-LaVallee 2021 Syrah Whole Cluster, Bassi Vineyard. The Estate wines come exclusively from Bassi Vineyard. Because the vineyard falls outside of any recognized AVA, these wines are designated with a San Luis Obispo County appellation. But make no mistake—these are limited-production estate bottlings that speak vividly of a single vineyard.
Sinor-LaVallee 2017 Syrah Black Label, The vineyard consists of primarily sandstone soils on a steep, southwest facing slope. 100% hand harvested and mostly from block 44. Made with the Noir Clone, which is reportedly a suitcase selection from the Northern Rhone “Hermitage” Vineyard.
Urban Trail San Luis Obispo
Cal Poly 2021 Syrah. Out of stock!
Points North Trail
Niner 2022 Edna Valley Syrah. This wine showcases everything we love about a cool-climate Syrah. Jespersen Ranch is located in the northwestern corner of the Edna Valley AVA, just four miles from the Pacific Ocean. Less than .1% of California vineyards are planted this close to the coast and very few include Syrah. This wine has a delicious combination of vibrant black cherry and blueberry flavors alongside savory black pepper and broad, brushy tannins.
Stolo 2023 Estate Syrah. Vineyard was planted in 2008: 4.2 Acres of Alban Syrah on 101-14 rootstock, spacing 7’x4’ dry farmed. Situated 3 miles from the Pacific Ocean, the Creekside Estate Vineyard is primarily illuvial clay loam soils adjacent to the Santa Rosa Creek floodplain at 140ft. above sea level. 100% whole cluster.
Stolo/Brij 2022 Syrah Arroyo Grande Ranch and Stolo/Brij 2022 Syrah Bassi. Brij Wines is Raj’s label dedicated to making wines from fruit sourced from our friends who share our passion for organically grown grapes. Brij allows us to explore other varieties not grown on our estate vineyards; Stolo and Phelan.