The aromas leap out of the glass. Wet earth, tapenade, green peppercorns, volcanic ash and tea leaves. Hints of orange peel. It’s electric on the palate, so savory, so earthy and so minerally, with stemmy and tea-like tannins. The freshness and energy are astounding, and the finish just keeps going. Delicious syrah. Drink or hold.

93+ One of the seemingly cooler climate-inspired Syrahs in the lineup, the 2021 Syrah Motor City Kitty comes from the Boushey Vineyard in the Yakima Valley (vines planted in 2007) and was not destemmed and was brought up in used oak. Smoky, gamey, Northern Rhône-like aromatics all give way to a medium-bodied, fresh, focused beauty that has fine tannins, a solid core of darker fruit, lots of peppery, meaty nuances, and outstanding length. It's tight and closed at the moment, so give bottles just a year or three if you can.

The 2021 Syrah The Motor City Kitty is impossible to ignore. Rich and fruit-focused, it wafts up with notes of rum cake and blackberry jam complicated by black olive, rosemary and ashen stones. This opens with a balanced inner sweetness offset by tart wild berry fruits. It is quite lifted in feel, with sage and exotic spices propelled by brisk acidity. The 2021 tapers off with tremendous length, leaving a saturation of primary concentration and firming tannins that promise many years of future development. -- Eric Guido