2021 Weathereye Vineyards, Syrah, Estate Vines, Red Mountain AVA, Washington State.
The dark black/purple Syrah from Weathereye and the talented Todd Alexander, who seems to have the magic touch, is a deep, hedonistic and complex wine that reminds me of Guigal’s Château d’Ampuis Côte-Rôtie with its rush of dense black fruits, violets, creme de cassis and earthy fig notes leading the way. The full bodied palate is powerful and layered with boysenberry, blueberry compote, sandalwood, graphite, licorice and bitter coco, as well as having a background of peppercorns, umami, tapenade and smoky vanilla. The tannins provide ample grip and structure, but feel lush and ripe, making this wine rich and velvety with a long finish, best to enjoy this Syrah with roasts, lamb, grilled beef and or hard cheeses. These tiny production reds and whites, include this Syrah, Grenache, Clairette and Marsanne, as well as a Tempranillo and a Bordeaux blend to name a few. I believe the grapes here were all or mostly de-stemmed and carefully sorted with intense maceration for maximum pigment and extraction with close to two years of barrel aging in luxurious new French oak. These Weathereye also remind me of Sine Qua Non and Saxum in mouth feel and exclusivity, and I can imagine the same following.
The Weathereye Vineyards estate is high atop of the famed Red Mountain was purchased by Washington State wine advocate Cameron Myhrvold in 2004. His then hired Ryan Johnson, viticulture guru, to plant the vineyard and hired Todd Alexander, probably the hottest name in Washington winemaking circles, to make the wines here, all of which was a masterstroke. These wines first broke on the scene with the 2018 vintages that were received to critical acclaim and created a cult like following, with the mailing list now having a big wait to get on, especially for the reds, like this Syrah and the Grenache. While rewarding now, especially with meaty dishes, this Syrah looks like a wine that will age nicely too, maybe if you are lucky enough to have some I might suggest holding it for 3 to 5 years. I am so grateful, for a friend on the mailing list, who shared this one with me and I have the Grenache to try soon, as well. Alexander, who also makes the famed Force Majeure wines, captures the terroir here with very opulent wines, as this one displays to near perfection. This 2021 actually was even better and more investing on day two and I am excited to follow Weathereye in the future, especially as the vines come into full maturity and the production levels rise enough to be a bit easier to get!
($85 Est.) 95 Points, grapelive