K Vintners Royal City Syrah 2015
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Somm Note
Winemaker Notes
This wine walks into the room and announces, "I'm Royal City!" From the first whiff there is no doubt, uber complex nose, black olive, cured meat, camphor, forest floor with an ever expanding palate. Long and beguiling, this is Royal City.
Professional Ratings
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Jeb Dunnuck
Another magical Syrah is the 2015 Syrah Royal City. It shows a more finesse-driven (I wrote Burgundian in my notes), ethereal style as well as a beautiful perfume of kirsch and black cherry liqueur intermixed with notes of crushed flowers, ground herbs, pepper, and dried earth. Full-bodied, seamless, and ultra-fine on the palate, it has no hard edges and flawless balance, all making for an incredibly thrilling Syrah that’s already a joy to drink.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
One hundred percent whole cluster, the 2015 Syrah Royal City bulldozes with elegance and power that is rarely seen in top bottlings. The nose is generous with good depth and breadth of lush black fruit compote, cinnamon spice and a velvety roundness that continues with layers upon layers. Full-bodied on the palate, the wine has a seriousness that can not be denied, yet it still has a velvety richness with lifting tannins and acidity on the mid-palate. With longevity that goes on for days, this is an extraordinary wine that is silky and massive. Only 364 cases were produced.
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James Suckling
A very fragrant nose with stony and earthy aromas, cast against espresso and blood plums with a spread of baking spices. The palate is a powerhouse with intense, all-encompassing, expansive presence. It heads right to the limit of ripeness and holds the line. Explosive, long and wild finish. A thriller! Drink this from 2025 for best results.
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Wine Spectator
Broad-shouldered and dense, yet refined, with huckleberry, river stone and bacon fat accents that build richness toward fine tannins.
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Wine Enthusiast
All of the fruit for this wine comes from Stoneridge Vineyard on the Royal Slope and was harvested at a scant 1.2 tons per acre, then barrel aged in puncheons on lees for 26 months. The aromas pop, with notes of green olive, brown stem, licorice, fresh herb, flower, tobacco and cherry. The palate is silky smooth and detailed, with plentiful black fruit flavors on the finish. Firm tannins back it all up. It needs some time to fully come together. Best after 2022.
Cellar Selection
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Dunnuck
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Parker
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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.”
A large and geographically diverse AVA capable of producing a wide variety of wine styles, the Columbia Valley AVA is home to 99% of Washington state’s total vineyard area. A small section of the AVA even extends into northern Oregon!
Because of its size, it is necessarily divided into several distinctive sub-AVAs, including Walla Walla Valley and Yakima Valley—which are both further split into smaller, noteworthy appellations. A region this size will of course have varied microclimates, but on the whole it experiences extreme winters and long, hot, dry summers. Frost is a common risk during winter and spring. The towering Cascade mountain range creates a rain shadow, keeping the valley relatively rain-free throughout the entire year, necessitating irrigation from the Columbia River. The lack of humidity combined with sandy soils allows for vines to be grown on their own rootstock, as phylloxera is not a serious concern.
Red wines make up the majority of production in the Columbia Valley. Cabernet Sauvignon is the dominant variety here, where it produces wines with a pleasant balance of dark fruit and herbs. Wines made from Merlot are typically supple, with sweet red fruit and sometimes a hint of chocolate or mint. Syrah tends to be savory and Old-World-leaning, with a wide range of possible fruit flavors and plenty of spice. The most planted white varieties are Chardonnay and Riesling. These range in style from citrus and green apple dominant in cooler sites, to riper, fleshier wines with stone fruit flavors coming from the warmer vineyards.