2022 Hors Catégorie Syrah

Aromas of black cherry, graphite, sweet pipe tobacco, lavender, and damp iron lead into a dense, savory palate. Flavors of black raspberry, cured meat, green peppercorn, and black olive mesh with a cooling note of menthol and crushed stone. The texture is silky and mouth-coating, supported by fine-grained, grippy tannins and vibrant acidity through a long, intensely mineral finish.

Made from 100% Syrah, incorporating roughly 90% whole-cluster fermentation with native yeasts. The wine ages for 18 months in neutral French oak barrels to preserve site specificity and aromatic purity without heavy oak influence. Yields are kept under one ton per acre from ultra-high-density plantings.

Grapes are grown in the 2.2-acre Hors Catégorie estate vineyard, hidden in the Blue Mountain foothills where the North Fork converges with the Walla Walla River. Planted on steep, 60-degree south-facing slopes, the vines cling to thin, virgin soils composed of fractured basalt, forcing deep root struggle and driving intense concentration.