2017 Halcon Vineyards Syrah Alturas Yorkville Highlands 750 ml

California’s Answer to the Northern Rhône

In the right hands, Syrah is capable of magic. The best have historically come from France’s Northern Rhône, but these days, thanks to the vision and work of Paul Gordon, Mendocino has a legitimate claim to Syrah greatness. His 2017 Halcón Syrah Alturas, from the Yorkville Highlands, has exploded onto the scene.

Today, we invite you to discover this full-bodied, savory red before Halcón’s wines become allocated and even harder to find. This is one upstart whose coastal, California wines deliver the rare trifecta of terroir, value, and deliciousness without breaking the bank.

This is the kind of Syrah that even Cab lovers will clamor for, with generous blackberry fruit, chocolate, and floral notes, but also the spice and herbes de Provence that cool-climate Syrah fans look for. Dunnuck noted as much when he wrote that “all the releases from this vineyard have a similar cool-climate, spicy, pepperiness—as well as a graceful texture and inherent elegance—that’s reminiscent of a Côte Rôtie.”

Gordon has been growing some of California’s most enticing reds in his Alturas vineyard since he first planted the high-altitude plot in 2005. Alturas is a Pacific-influenced 15 acres with tons of sun, and the balance he achieves there is the envy of producers all over California. Wine Advocate, in fact, has said that “in Paul Gordon's hands this site naturally produces fabulous Syrahs with tension, energy and character that recall the Northern Rhône's best.” The previous vintage earned 94 points from them, and while the Advocate’s critics haven’t yet reviewed this one, we expect similar results.