K Vintners Motor City Kitty Syrah 2016
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Product Details
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Winemaker Notes
Not shy to say, super expressive! Classic in approach which abounds with plum, black cherry, sandalwood, layered along with cured meat, white pepper and minerals. Voluminous, velvet and pure. Another milestone in the history that is M.C.K.
Professional Ratings
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Jeb Dunnuck
Coming from the highest point in the Boushey vineyard and a mix of Syrah clones, the 2016 Motor City Kitty Old Field Boushey Vineyard was fermented all in concrete (no destemming) and brought up in neutral oak. Game, olives, white pepper, and darker fruits all emerge from this Côte Rôtie look-alike. With medium to full-bodied richness and a layered texture, it’s one of the greatest values out there, so if you see a bottle, you should buy it.
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James Suckling
From the Oldfield-Boushey Vineyard, this has a deep color and a wild, exotic nose with such peppery complexity. Really intense palate with depth and focus. The dark plums and blackberries are striking and the pepper continues here and there’s an expansive feel to the finish. It builds and holds in impressive, bold and confident form. Try from 2022 and a decade after that.
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Wine Enthusiast
Like a genie, this wine jumps out of the bottle. Expressive aromas of charcuterie plate, olive, herb, flower, orange peel, mineral, black pepper and chopped parsley lead to palate-coating, sumptuous fruit and savory flavors that sail on the extended finish. It's everything you want in a Syrah.
Editors' Choice -
Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Named after a cat the Charles owned, the 2016 MCK Syrah wafts from the glass with lush and vibrant dark fruits, black peppercorn, juicy blueberry tones, plum jam and black raspberry liqueur. Full-bodied, juicy and generous in the mouth, the wine coats the palate with luscious chocolate ganache and peppered fruits, finishing long and a bit rich—one can please a crowd. 1,373 cases were made.Rating: 92+
Other Vintages
2020-
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Wine
Located at the base of the Blue Mountains in Walla Walla Washington, K Vintners opened its doors to the public on December 3rd, 2001. The property at 820 Mill Creek Road where the winery sits was homesteaded in 1853 with the adjacent farmhouse built in 1872. The winery grounds with Titus Creek flowing through the lawn and the old pioneer planted trees, is a little slice of heartland Americana. The Winemaker: He loves to drink wine! Charles Smith, proprietor and winemaker, comes to Walla Walla after 11 years in Scandanavia. Originally from northern California, he has been involved with wine personally and professionally his whole life. And did we forget to mention... he loves to drink wine! The Vineyards: K Vintners is producing wines from 2 distinctive viticultural zones: Wahluke Slope and Walla Walla Valley. Each of these areas are unique and awesome for Syrah and the Field Blends produced. In April '02 two seperate blocks of vineyards were planted to Syrah adjacent to the winery in the rocky dry creek beds that run through K Vintners property.
Marked by an unmistakable deep purple hue and savory aromatics, Syrah makes an intense, powerful and often age-worthy red. Native to the Northern Rhône, Syrah achieves its maximum potential in the steep village of Hermitage and plays an important component in the Red Rhône Blends of the south, adding color and structure to Grenache and Mourvèdre. Syrah is the most widely planted grape of Australia and is important in California and Washington. Sommelier Secret—Such a synergy these three create together, the Grenache, Syrah, Mourvedre trio often takes on the shorthand term, “GSM.”
As the first recognized wine-growing region in the Pacific Northwest, Yakima Valley is centrally located within Washington’s vast Columbia Valley. The region also includes Washington’s oldest Cabernet Sauvignon vines, Otis Vineyard, planted in 1957, and Harrison Hill Vineyard, planted in 1963. Yakima Valley contains three smaller sub-regions: Rattlesnake Hills, Red Mountain, and Snipes Mountain and is ideal for both red and white wine production. In fact, Yakima Valley is Washington’s most diverse region, boasting more than 40 different grape varieties over about one hundred miles.
The cooler parts of the valley are home to almost half of the Chardonnay and Riesling produced in the state! Both are made in a wide range of styles depending on the conditions of the vineyard site.
But its warmer locations yield a large proportion of Washington’s best Merlot, Syrah and Cabernet Sauvignon. The finest Yakima Valley reds are jam-packed full of red cherry, currant, raspberry or blackberry fruit, as well as cocoa, herb, spice and savory notes, and exhibit a supple texture, great body, focus and length.