Name: Stolpman Syrah "The Great Places - August James Stolpman" 2023 750ml
Brand: Stolpman
SKU: 990671
Price: 118.94 USD
Availability: InStock
Rating: 96 (4 reviews)

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Winery Stolpman

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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.

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.

Region California

California as a wine producing region has grown in size and importance considerably over the past couple of centuries, and today is the proud producer of more than ninety percent of the United States' wines. Indeed, if California was a country, it would be the fourth largest producer of wine in the world, with a vast range of vineyards covering almost half a million acres. The secret to California's success as a wine region has a lot to do with the high quality of its soils, and the fact that it has an extensive Pacific coastline which perfectly tempers the blazing sunshine it experiences all year round. The winds coming off the ocean cool the vines, and the natural valleys and mountainsides which make up most of the state's wine regions make for ideal areas in which to cultivate a variety of high quality grapes.

Appellation Santa Barbara

Santa Barbara is home to many of California's most sought after wines, with a powerful reputation for superbly crafted, old world style big, flavorful and complex red wines. The white wine industry in the region is growing, too, with many wineries within Santa Barbara successfully experimenting with several classic white wine grape varietals. As in much of California, Santa Barbara benefits from the blazing west coast sunshine, coupled with cooling Pacific Ocean breezes and fogs, which help to temper the grapes and slow the ripening process, thus ensuring more flavor and aroma in the resulting wines. Although Santa Barbara is a relatively young wine region, it is home to many wineries who are extremely dedicated when it comes to demonstrating just how good their terroir is, and how characterful their region's wines can be.

JS 98pts

James Suckling

Voluminous yet elegant, and built around a core of subtle power, this remarkable syrah is intricately woven with threads of warm figs, purple berries, cured olives, tar and nervy spices. Iodine and crushed flowers on the sticky-tannin finish. Drink or hold, but it’s best to wait.

WA 97pts

Wine Advocate

The 2023 Syrah The Great Places August James Stolpman presents an east-facing parcel, including a portion of interconnected plantings layered via "provignage" from a single mother vine established in 2013. As with the Otto Reynard bottling, the pre-clonal material originates from Domaine Auguste Clape's holdings in Reynard. It is among the more full-throttle and enveloping of the range, slowly emerging from the glass with a black and blue fruited bouquet laden with an iron-tinged core and gamey, blood sauce accents and a smoldering, roasted undercurrent. The palate is extraordinarily inky and rich yet supremely even-keeled, floating on the palate with a sense of buoyancy that belies its monstrous density and impactful nature. It concludes with a stunningly long, resonant finish, propelled by invigorating yet measured acidity and velvety tannins, which linger with a perfumed, floral quality that carries over to the bouquet after aeration. This is so good already that I can understand the temptation to pull corks, but I am quite certain holding off will pay dividends.

VM 97pts

Vinous Media

The 2023 Syrah Great Places August James Stolpman is open-knit and fleshy, offering immediate pleasure yet retaining striking complexity. Iron, blood and mineral tones lend depth, while broad swaths of sensual tannin create a sensation of verticality. The 66% whole clusters add aromatic lift and perfume. There's a generosity of fruit here that nods to California sunshine, but the structure and savoriness recall classic Old-World Syrah. What a stunner.

JD 92pts

Jeb Dunnuck

Similarly deep purple-hued, the 2023 Syrah Great Places August James Stolpman reveals blackberries, cracked pepper, lavender, game, and iron, with beautiful violet notes. Fermented with 67% whole clusters in concrete and aged 20 months in neutral French oak puncheons, it’s medium to full-bodied, concentrated, firm, focused, and tannic as all hell. There’s also a touch of CO2 that pokes through, and while it has balance and terrific length, this is a burly, backward wine that will need plenty of time in the cellar to come together. Hide bottles for 4-5 years, and it should evolve gracefully over the following 10-15 years. Drink 2030-2045.

Winery Notes

• Certified Organic & Biodynamic. • 100% Syrah. • Stolpman Estate Vineyards (Ballard Canyon AVA). • 6,000 vine/acre, own rooted, head pruned, pre clonal vine material. • 60% whole-cluster. • Native fermentation in open top concrete tanks for 21 days. • 3 punch downs total, daily circulations. • Aged in 500L neutral French Vache Forest Ermitage puncheons for 22 months.