I recently had a marvelous isolation birthday. Beautiful walks, swimming, mahjongg on the patio, all followed by appetizers and a gourmet meal prepared by my favorite chef in my own home. A wine was decanted – to my delight it was the 2015 Wrath Syrah. Yum. A few days later was Cinco de Mayo and we had a little party planned – takeout from Mando’s, our local Mexican joint, and margaritas! Right before dinner, the UPS man arrived with our order of the 2016 Wrath Syrah and, for science, we had to taste it – but after our party.
We are venturing out of Arroyo Seco AVA and to the north to the Monterey AVA – the heart of the Salinas Valley. According to the Monterey Vintners and Growers Association Monterey County Vintners and Growers Association, the Monterey AVA was established 1984. Thanks to the local climate, it enjoys one of the longest growing seasons in the world, with a wide range of microclimates influenced by the Monterey Bay. The afternoon winds cool down the vineyards and the maritime fog keeps the temperatures from falling too low. Over 50% of the grapes grown are Chardonnay.
This area has been suffering the fires and smoke from the ongoing River Fire and I expect we will hear reporting soon from the damage.
We got to know Wrath years ago, as one of their tasting rooms is centrally located in the Carmel Shopping Plaza right off Ocean Avenue in quaint Carmel-By-The-Sea. It was always a fun place to drop in to taste some great wines. In the Spring of 2019, we took a family road trip down the River Road Wine Trail through the Salinas Valley to their winery and main tasting room in Soledad – it was the highlight of our trip. The plan was to go back there in March 2020 with our new friends and have a picnic there. Sigh…someday. While their Syrah has always been one of my favorites, they make great Pinot Noirs and Chardonnays, and I featured their delicious 2017 EX Sauvignon Blanc in my Fall 2019 Northern Virginia AWS class.
About Wrath Wines from their website: “Wrath is in the wall of maritime fog that rolls into the Salinas Valley and the relentless afternoon winds that scream through our grape trellises. Wrath wines represent a nexus of nature and an unbridled passion for winemaking.” This description refers to the harsh conditions created by the cold waters of the Monterey Bay and the afternoon winds that come screaming even down my street and fog (like the heavy bank which rolled in last evening), reminding me daily that those winds and fog serve a purpose – to help us make great wine.
A bit about the San Saba Vineyard from Wrath: “Our Estate San Saba Vineyard is set in a sheltered nook just below the Santa Lucia Highlands AVA. The estate consists of 72 acres of which 67.75 are planted to Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Sauvignon Blanc, Syrah and Falanghina. This is a cool site with little rainfall and one of the longest growing seasons in the world. Our soils, Arroyo Gravelly Loam and Hanford Gravely Sandy Loam, provide a low-vigor, well-draining, disease- and pest-free medium for our vines. They also impart a subtle mineral quality to our wines…”
2017 Wrath EX Sauvignon Blanc, Monterey AVA, 13% ABV $20
About the EX Label: “Wrath is proud to announce the release of EX wines, our updated label that replaces the Ex Anima series. With a name meaning “out of” in Latin, EX speaks to our focus on expressing the personality and characteristics of our Certified Sustainable (SIP) estate vineyard. We harvest grapes at two different ripeness levels and then blend lots together to create a wine that encapsulates the best qualities of each lot. fermentation and aging take place in stainless tanks.”
The 2017 EX Sauvignon Blanc is bright and vibrant with pronounced guava and gooseberries. 1023 cases produced.
Wine Enthusiast Review: ” Freshly cut lawn, wet cement, sour lime rinds, and kelp combine for a very unique and compelling nose on this bottling. The nose extends to the palate, where white pepper and crushed white-rock flavors make for a memorable sip.” 90 pts, Matt Kettmann, November 2018
2015 Wrath Syrah San Saba Vineyard, Monterey AVA, 14.7% ABV, $39 (#38*)
Review by Lisa Perrotti-Brown of The Wine Advocate: “Deep garnet-purple colored, the 2015 Syrah San Saba Vineyard has a beguiling seaweed, dried Provence herbs and green tea nose over a core of black and red cherries, mulberries and garrigue. Full-bodied and firmly structured with chewy tannins, it has loads of earthy appeal and a long pepper and herbs-laced finish.” 90 points
My Review: This is one of our favorite Monterey wines and this vintage was excellent. The color was incredibly dense and the flavors match the look. IMHO, this wine deserves a higher rating!
2016 Wrath Syrah San Saba Vineyard, Monterey AVA, 14.7% ABV, $39 (#41*)
From Wrath Wines regarding the Wrath 2016 Syrah: “Grapes are hand harvested and hand sorted. Clonal lots are kept separate during fermentation. All our single vineyard syrahs use a similar whole cluster fermentation (20%) and oak regimen. This helps highlight the individual personality of each vineyard. After on-site bottling, the wine rests for another 12 months of bottle aging before release.” 100% French oak, 45% new. 298 cases were produced.
Wrath says this about the 2016 Syrah San Saba Vineyard: “Powerful and elegant, aromatics include blackberry, leather and peppercorns; the palate is rich and concentrated with graphite, cassis, and a hint of smoke.” Jeb Dunnuck rated this wine 95 points! I would have to agree!!
My Review: We found the 2016 Syrah to be similar to the 2015 in taste – very dense red with blueberry and blackberry on the nose. Delicious smooth palate of alcohol-laced, dancing bright and dark fruits – berries and plums, lingering finish. I highly recommend this wine if you are a Syrah fan.
Wrath offers free ground shipping on case purchases of its wine, which you can purchase from its website.
The San Francisco Chronicle published a list of the Top 10 Things to do in Monterey and Wrath’s tasting room is included in that list. For more information on tasting Wrath wines, click here. According to Wrath’s website, as of September 5th: “Inside tastings may be banned for now but at the winery tasting room, we have a large outdoor patio that is perfect for safe spacing and sampling our wines while enjoying the views. We are 5 minutes west of Hwy 101 and 20 minutes south of Salinas, off River Road. In Carmel, we have moved our tasting room outside onto the center courtyard of Carmel Plaza (Ocean & Mission). We don’t have a large amount of seating but we do have a nice fire pit to stay cozy on those foggy days that Carmel is so famous for.”
Please give them a call to confirm, especially during these times of COVID and the River Fire – 831-620-1909.
*Refers to wines tasted while Sheltering in Place on Sharon’s personal Facebook group “Sharon’s Central Coast (Monterey) Wine Blog” – including non-Central Coast wines.
© Decanting Monterey 2020
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