K Vintners Powerline Syrah 2014
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Winemaker Notes
Damp earth, campfire and stone wafts up from the glass. It gives way to the density of flavor of the palate. Cured meats and olives abound. Tumbled river rock is the home of these vines. From the heart of Walla Walla to your glass.
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
A new cuvee that's all from the Powerline Vineyard in the southern part of the Walla Walla Valley, the 2014 Syrah Powerline is all from the Phelps clone, was fermented with 100% whole clusters and aged in puncheons. One of the more bloody, meaty, iron-laced and savory Syrahs in the lineup, it hits the palate with full-bodied richness, a thick, unctuous texture, ripe tannin and a finish that makes your heart beat a touch faster. Give bottles a few years in the cellar and enjoy over the following decade.
Barrel Sample: 94-97 Points -
James Suckling
This is spectacular for complexity and depth. The nose delivers dried violets, cherries and pepper with a swathe of hard brown spices and sweet earthy notes. The palate has intensity and focus and is very layered and very deep; it's marked by dark stony accents of graphite as well as dark chocolate-coated blood plums. Long unwavering finish. Try from 2020 and a decade after that.
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Wine Spectator
A knockout Syrah, precise and impeccably built but explosive with personality. Smoky roasted meat and floral blackberry aromas combine with bold, supple flavors of dark plum, pepper and licorice. The tannins are big but polished. Drink now through 2024.
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Wine Enthusiast
This new exciting vineyard is located in the foothills of the Blue Mountains and is filled with cobblestone soils. The aromas explode with notes of raspberry, green and black olive brine, green stem, smoked meat, mineral and earth. The palate is rich and focused, with intense earth, fruit and savory flavors that lead to an extended finish. Abundant floral notes are speckled throughout. It’s a stunner.
Other Vintages
2020-
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Dunnuck - Vinous
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Jeb
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Located at the base of the Blue Mountains in Walla Walla Washington, K Vintners opened its doors to the public on December 3rd, 2001. The property at 820 Mill Creek Road where the winery sits was homesteaded in 1853 with the adjacent farmhouse built in 1872. The winery grounds with Titus Creek flowing through the lawn and the old pioneer planted trees, is a little slice of heartland Americana. The Winemaker: He loves to drink wine! Charles Smith, proprietor and winemaker, comes to Walla Walla after 11 years in Scandanavia. Originally from northern California, he has been involved with wine personally and professionally his whole life. And did we forget to mention... he loves to drink wine! The Vineyards: K Vintners is producing wines from 2 distinctive viticultural zones: Wahluke Slope and Walla Walla Valley. Each of these areas are unique and awesome for Syrah and the Field Blends produced. In April '02 two seperate blocks of vineyards were planted to Syrah adjacent to the winery in the rocky dry creek beds that run through K Vintners property.
Marked by an unmistakable deep purple hue and savory aromatics, Syrah makes an intense, powerful and often age-worthy red. Native to the Northern Rhône, Syrah achieves its maximum potential in the steep village of Hermitage and plays an important component in the Red Rhône Blends of the south, adding color and structure to Grenache and Mourvèdre. Syrah is the most widely planted grape of Australia and is important in California and Washington. Sommelier Secret—Such a synergy these three create together, the Grenache, Syrah, Mourvedre trio often takes on the shorthand term, “GSM.”
Responsible for some of Washington’s most highly acclaimed wines, the Walla Walla Valley has experienced a surge in popularity in recent years and is home to both historic wineries and younger, up-and-coming producers.
The Walla Walla Valley, a Native American name meaning “many waters,” is located in southeastern Washington; part of the appellation actually extends into Oregon. Soils here are well-drained, sandy loess over Missoula Flood deposits and fractured basalt.
It is a region perfectly suited to Rhône-inspired Syrahs, distinguished by savory notes of red berry, black olive, smoke and fresh earth. Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot create a range of styles from smooth and supple to robust and well-structured. White varieties are rare but some producers blend Sauvignon Blanc with Sémillon, resulting in a rich and round style, and plantings of Viognier, while minimal, are often quite successful.
Of note within Walla Walla, is one new and very peculiar appellation, called the Rocks District of Milton-Freewater. This is the only AVA in the U.S. whose boundaries are totally defined by the soil type. Soils here look a bit like those in the acclaimed Rhône region of Chateauneuf-du-Pape, but are large, ancient, basalt cobblestones. These stones work in the same way as they do in Chateauneuf, absorbing and then radiating the sun's heat up to enhance the ripening of grape clusters. The Rocks District is within the part of Walla Walla that spills over into Oregon and naturally excels in the production of Rhône varieties like Syrah, as well as the Bordeaux varieties.