(96+ points) The 2020 Syrah Foothills Reserve wafts up with a darkly alluring blend of salt-cured meat with black olive, white pepper and grilled sage. This opens with a pretty inner sweetness, quickly contrasted by a salty wave of tart wild berry fruits, further elevated by hints of sour citrus. The mouth is left watering for more as the 2020 tapers off savory and lightly structured. The Syrah Foothills Reserve comes across as classic in every possible way.

Blackberries, black olives, hoisin and peppered steak on the nose. Some spearmint and bitter chocolate, too. It’s full-bodied with well-integrated tannins. Dark and inky, with a peppery, smoky and meaty finish. Expressive and solid syrah. Unfiltered and unfined. Drink or hold.

Awesome aromatics of ripe red and black berries, smoked meats, spring flowers, iron, and bacon fat all emerge from the 2020 Syrah Foothills Reserve, a medium to full-bodied, concentrated Syrah with plenty of mid-palate density, a layered, mouth-coating texture, ripe tannins, and outstanding length. This intense, complex, incredibly impressive Syrah reminds me of a great Côte Rôtie from the likes of Jamet and Levet. Drink bottles over the coming 10-15 years.