2019 Omen Syrah-Viognier Element 79 Single Vineyard Limited Edition Fairplay El Dorado 750 ml

Many Rhône-obsessed California winemakers consider it the ultimate aspiration: Replicate the classic Northern Rhône blend—muscular, peppery Syrah and juicy, perfumed Viognier—in a fashion to rival the world-famous estates of Côte-Rôtie. The 2019 Omen Syrah-Viognier, from a less-heralded California AVA, succeeds, deftly expressing the suavity and cool-climate precision we love in classic Old World blends.

From our friend Alexandre Remy—a Wine Enthusiast 2021 40 Under 40 Tastemaker—it has single-vineyard pedigree, high-elevation elegance, and limited-production cachet.

Raised in Rennes, France, Alex earned a reputation in the wine world as a dazzling technician, advising estates like Opus One and Baron Philippe de Rothschild. The road to earning fat paychecks from the biggest estates and châteaux was wide open, but Alex decided on the path less traveled. He set himself a challenge: coaxing terroir transparency from hidden-gem sites.

When he saw one such site in the Sierra Foothills—a 2400-foot-high vineyard basking in sunlight, lying on a bed of well-draining, decomposed granite soils—his mind instantly went to Côte-Rôtie. Evidence suggests that the AOC’s famous Syrah-Viognier blend, a 500-year-old tradition in the Rhône Valley, likely had serendipitous origins: The two grapes ripen at the same time, and winemakers in the past were less concerned with varietal purity.

If it was an accident, it was of the same caliber as someone knocking a little salt into chocolate-chip cookie dough for the first time. Co-fermenting the Syrah and Viognier, as Alex did, deepens the color and marries the best qualities of each grape. In a cooler area like El Dorado, the softness of the Viognier tames the angularity of the Syrah, creating an elegant texture infused with savory depth and sleek, rich fruit.