Rim Rock Vineyard continues to be a place of complex, beguiling Syrah. Nearly 15 years into our relationship with this site, its hallmarks are all the more enticing vis-à-vis the cool 2021 vintage. An undercurrent of charred earth opens to violet Anis de Flavigny, eucalyptus, sour cherry and lavender, the vineyard’s animal quality tying savory and tang to lovely texture. So much comes forward with time in the glass, all of it wrapped up in a spice-driven finish. This is elegant, lithe Syrah that old vines in a hyper-coastal vineyard seemingly deliver with ease.