2017 Kimsey Syrah

96% Syrah and 4% Viognier, all organically farmed from own-rooted blocks on the Kimsey Estate Vineyard, a 22-acre vineyard in the Ballard Canyon appellation of Santa Barbara County farmed by Ruben Solórzano (AKA ‘The Grape Whisperer’). 75% destemmed and fermented with native yeasts in open top containers. Aged in all neutral 228L French oak.  Bottled unfined and unfiltered. Only 226 cases made.  13.5% alcohol.

95 points, Jeb Dunnuck. "The 2017 Syrah (96% Syrah and 4% Viognier) comes all from the estate vineyard in Ballard Canyon. Black raspberries, cassis, graphite, liquid violets, black pepper, and tapenade notes jump from the glass of this beauty, which is medium to full-bodied, has a boatload of concentration, yet stays pure, balanced, and nicely focused on the palate, very much in the style of the vintage. This primordial Syrah needs to be forgotten for 2-4 years, but it's going to knock your socks off over the following decade."

94 points, Antonio Galloni's Vinous. "The 2017 Syrah is fabulous. Deeply pitched aromatics lead into a core of inky red/purplish fruit in a Syrah that shows off the pedigree of this site to great effect. This sumptuous, full-bodied Syrah shows all the elements that make Ballard Canyon so appealing for Syrah. The 2017 is not the most complex wine I have tasted here, but it is easily among the most delicious."