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Ampelos Cellars Syrah Gamma 2008 750ml

size
750ml
country
United States
region
California
appellation
Santa Barbara
subappellation
Santa Rita Hills
VM
91
Additional vintages
2015 2008
VM
91
Rated 91 by Vinous Media
Opaque ruby. Powerful, spice-accented aromas of blackberry, violet and licorice, plus a smoky mineral note; very syrah. Sweet and lush on entry, then spicy and firm in the mid-palate, offering black and blue fruit flavors with complicating floral pastille and allspice qualities. At once ripe and fresh, finishing juicy and impressively long, with notes of candied flowers and minerals.
Image of bottle
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Ampelos Cellars Syrah Gamma 2008 750ml

SKU 734515
Out of Stock
More Details
barrel

Vintage: 2008

2008 saw very high yields across wineries in much of the southern hemisphere, as a result of highly favorable climatic conditions. Although in many areas, these high yields brought with them something of a drop in overall quality, this could not be said for South Australia's wines, which were reportedly excellent. Indeed, the 2008 Shiraz harvest in South Australia is said to be one of the most successful in recent decades, and western Australia's Chardonnays are set to be ones to watch out for. New Zealand's Pinot Noir harvest was also very good, with wineries in Martinborough reportedly very excited about this particular grape and the characteristics it revealed this year. Pinot Noir also grew very well in the United States, and was probably the most successful grape varietal to come out of California in 2008, with Sonoma Coast and Anderson Valley delivering fantastic results from this grape. Elsewhere in United States, Washington State and Oregon had highly successful harvests in 2008 despite some early worries about frost. However, it was France who had the best of the weather and growing conditions in 2008, and this year was one of the great vintages for Champagne, the Médoc in Bordeaux, Languedoc-Roussillon and Provence, with Pinot Noir, Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay grapes leading the way. Italy, too, shared many of these ideal conditions, with the wineries in Tuscany claiming that their Chianti Classicos of 2008 will be ones to collect, and Piedmont's Barberesco and Barolo wines will be recognized as amongst the finest of the past decade.
green grapes

Varietal: Syrah

Known as Syrah in most countries around the world, and Shiraz in Australia and certain other regions of the New World, this grape varietal has proven over the centuries to be one of the most powerful and flavorful red wine grapes there is. It is now one of the planet's most widely grown grapes, and is a favorite with wineries as a result of its robustness and versatility. It isn't easy to identify many characteristics of this particular varietal, due to the fact that it is highly versatile and shows significant differences in flavor and character depending on the terroir it is grown in, and the climatic conditions of the region. However, Syrah is most widely associated with full bodied, strong and loud red wines, packed full of fruity and spicy flavors, held in a beautifully deep red liquid.
barrel

Region: California

Since the 18th century, California has been a hugely important and influential wine region, acting as a trailblazer for other New World wine regions and utilizing an important blend of traditional and contemporary practices, methods and techniques relating to their wine production. Split into four key areas – the North Coast, the Central Coast, the South Coast and the Central Valley – Californian wineries make the most of their ideal climate and rich variety of terrains in order to produce a fascinating range of wines made with a long list of different fine grape varietals. Today, the state has almost half a million acres under vine, and is one of the world's largest wine exporters, with Californian wines being drunk and enjoyed all across the globe.
fields

Country: United States

Of all the New World wine countries, perhaps the one which has demonstrated the most flair for producing high quality wines - using a combination of traditional and forward-thinking contemporary methods - has been the United States of America. For the past couple of centuries, the United States has set about transforming much of its suitable land into vast vineyards, capable of supporting a wide variety of world-class grape varietals which thrive on both the Atlantic and the Pacific coastlines. Of course, we immediately think of sun-drenched California in regards to American wines, with its enormous vineyards responsible for the New World's finest examples of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot based wines, but many other states have taken to viticulture in a big way, with impressive results. Oregon, Washington State and New York have all developed sophisticated and technologically advanced wine cultures of their own, and the output of U.S wineries is increasing each year as more and more people are converted to their produce.
bottle and glass

Appellation: Santa Barbara

California is one of the New World's truly great wine producing countries, and within the state, there are few regions quite as enduringly popular or successful as Santa Barbara. Santa Barbara benefits from the fantastic sunshine the state is famous for, as well as the cooling and temperate Pacific Ocean winds which help to slow the ripening process and ensure the grapes which thrive there end up expressing more flavor and aroma in the bottle. The region itself is renowned for producing high quality and flavorful red wines, commonly made from classic French grape varietals such as Cabernet Sauvignon. However, recent years have seen the wineries of Santa Barbara eager to experiment, and today several different red and white wine grapes are growing well in this beautiful region.