K Vintners "Royal City" Columbia Valley Syrah 2018

Jeb Dunnuck : 98 Points

(5/6/2021) Lots of lavender, cured meats, loamy earthy, and pepper as well as both red and darker fruits emerge from the 2018 Syrah Royal City, easily one of the richest, most powerful Syrahs in the lineup. Full-bodied and concentrated, with loads of meaty, gamey, spicy nuances, this rock star of a Syrah offers loads of pleasure today yet is going to benefit from 2-4 years of bottle age and cruise for another 10-15 years in cold cellars. It's a ripe, sexy, yet again, incredibly savory and meaty Syrah that could come from nowhere else! Maturity: 2023 - 2038.

Vinous - Eric Guido : 96 Points

(10/2021) The 2018 Syrah Royal City is sourced from the Stoneridge vineyard, which has an underground creek running through it and deposits of granite and volcanic soils pushed against what was formerly a marshland. Grapes from two distinct parts of the block are fermented separately. This 100% Syrah was aged in 50% new oak puncheons before bottling. The nose is sensational, offering green olive and white-pepper-dusted bacon alongside orange zest, fresh sage and suggestions of huckleberry cordial. Silky and elegant, this glides seamlessly across the midpalate. Very pretty red fruits and soy sauce tones combine with blood orange rind, steak tartare and an incredibly long finish. Super-refined and gorgeous to consume in its youth. Drinking Window: 2021 - 2031.

James Suckling : 98 Points

(2/10/2022) An explosion of fresh herbs and spice on the nose with notes of baked blackberry, dry stone and cardamom. Full-bodied with fine, structured tannins and so much delicacy and nuance. The palate feels expansive and wide-reaching with so much depth of flavor and wonderfully ripe fruit. Balanced acidity and wet-stone minerality keep the palate going and going. Hot paprika, roasted red pepper and white peppercorn add intense complexity. Excellent. Drink or hold.

Wine Advocate : 96 Points

(10/31/2022) Magenta in the glass, the 2018 Syrah Royal City offers a lighter expression of Syrah with a firm notion of dusty black cherry skin, notions of teriyaki beef jerky and dusty flowers with smoked plums before a delightful petrichor note lifts from the glass. Medium to full-bodied, the wine is loaded with umami sensations and firm mineral tension on the palate, with a dusty plum blossom essence that somersaults across the mid-palate with a textually pleasing mouthfeel. It’s a robust and pleasing wine without being overdone or offering a heavily weighted or over-oaky expression that may sometimes distract from the sincerity of sense of place. The wine glides to a long, evolving finish and lingering stemmy flavor with fresh red berries and soft florals. It’s not as big or as extracted as previous releases but will most definitely stand apart in a vertical tasting of past and present bottlings. Drink Date: 2023 - 2036.