Spiced blackberry, crushed lavender, blueberry pie filling. Date pit, smoldering wood, smushed fig. Rosemary and dried thyme, brown sugar and BBQ sauce. Dense dark cherry liqueur forms a solid base which is seasoned with anise, fennel, sage, peppercorn, rock salt, and cardamom. Full bodied and slightly extracted. Reminiscent of marinated barbacoa or sticky finger ribs with some saucy savory sweetness. This 2016 Limited Selection Estate Syrah by Gainey Vineyard is plump & tasty Syrah from Santa Barbara County.

In 1962 the Gainey family purchased 1800 acres of land in the Santa Ynez Valley of Santa Barbara. They planted wine grapes and started their winery in 1984, and would go on to purchase additional acres of land just west in the Santa Rita Hills appellation that they also planted to vines. Gainey has since become one of the largest estate-only wineries in all of Santa Barbara and is able to produce a wide range of grape varietals and wine styles thanks to the varied climates of their vineyards. This bottling, comprised of 100% Syrah, combines fruit from both their Santa Ynez and Santa Rita Hills vineyards. It is deep, inky, and round, showing some new oak along with ripe dark berry fruit and loads of grilling spices. Toasted coco adds a touch of rich sweetness to this barbeque in a bottle. While plenty delicious on its own this stuff will certainly benefit from being paired with slow roasted red meat and hearty veggies to dig into along side it.