Always a privilege to get an unexpected labrat package. Somehow they always seem to turn up at the door before I see the email. This time (a fist for me?) it’s not for the next day, so I can wait until tomorrow to taste - a good thing since we’ve got a dinner guest who I can get some feedback from as well!
Ram’s Gate Syrah 2015 Hyde Vineyard Syrah. 478 cases produced, per label. Tomorrow’s plan is some ribs - so hoping that will be a nice pairing.
Back label:
My husband opened it up earlier to air but didn’t tell me, but 1.5 hrs later it smells great (husband says he noticed it when he opened it, and that it still smells similar). Wish I was better at describing, but this is the smell of a good wine, that you expect to enjoy just from the smell - definitely dark fruit but with complexity. We decanted to give it more air - it’s a deep, dark color.
Poured a glass & a swirl showed some nice long legs. On tasting - oaky, peppery, dry with fruit accent - noticeable tannins, in a good way - though the tannins less noticeable over the next hour. Medium dry finish, in a way that makes you go ahead and sip again. Maybe less flavor than I expected given how much I liked the smell of it, but still a good wine. Husband also liked it, and said it went well our rib dinner. Our dinner guest is on extended dry January so unfortunately no extra notes from them, but they also thought the wine smelled good.
Overall, lovely nose, tasty wine & we’d gladly drink more. Enough complexity to hold up to a meaty meal, but not overpowering.
Understated Elegance. This LabRat review can be summarized in just two words, Understated Elegance. I developed an affinity for Syrah when my son was stationed in Seattle and I sampled wines from many of the excellent Syrah producers in Washington state. I also had favorable impressions of Syrah from Sonoma county including those from Coppola and Chateau St Jean. My favorite Syrah from Chateau St Jean came from the Durell vineyard from which Ram’s Gate has also sourced Syrah. I have not tasted the Ram’s Gate Durell Syrah but was similarly impressed with the Parmelee vineyard and would rate it among the best Syrahs I have had the opportunity to taste.
The bottle arrived just in time for my birthday celebration. This review is for the 2016 vintage. The pour was the expected reddish purple. Lots of dark fruit on the nose. The same expected dark fruits in the mouth with some plum and cherry notes. Soft silky tannins abound with medium body and medium warm and pleasant finish. This wine is not particularly acidic and has no extreme or off putting features. It is smooth, well balanced, and a legitimate crowd pleaser which can be easily sipped on its own or paired with a variety of different food styles.
On to the pairings, I brought the bottle to a local steakhouse with a reasonable corkage fee. I skipped the salad course and started with fried calamari and onion rings. Then came the T-bone steak. I brought the rest of the bottle home to pair with Chantilly cake and dark chocolate. This wine paired wonderfully with all of the food choices. It stood up well to the bold flavors of the steak and chocolate but did not overpower the more subtle food choices either. Overall the Ram’s Gate Syrah made for an enjoyable dinner pairing and unexpected birthday surprise. Although a bit pricey for every day drinking it would make for a nice companion to enjoy a special weekend with.
Lucky me getting a rat opportunity! This is the 2016 Ram’s Gate Syrah. I knew from the UPS details what the wine was and was excited for a Syrah, which is a varietal I generally put near the top of what I enjoy. Just a few notes: I’m wrapping up a cold and have a bit of congestion still that is affecting my depth of taste, I like both ranges of Syrah - a more light, Rhone style, as well as a more extracted (think Paso Robles), luscious style.
First impressions: Heavy bottle, thick foil, understated embossed label. This is a bottle that you would think was high end.
Pours a dark opaque plum in the glass. Huge aroma that hits you immediately, dominant plum with some sweetness (primarily from the fruit). Some eucalyptus, vegetal, herb notes and maybe a fleeting vanilla. Unfortunately didn’t take notes of whiffing it after some time open, but I seem to recall it settled down a bit with some of the fruit blowing off.
Smooth plum entry, a bit mouth drying, and the tannins definitely are heavily present. I didn’t get a lot of secondary flavors but it finished with a bit of a bitter aftertaste. I wasn’t particularly impressed at this point.
Day 2 and with a lot more air the tannins have mellowed out significantly and the herbal / vegetal notes have become more present. This was a lot more pleasant on day 2 and leads me to believe this needs some more age or a lot of air to show its true colors.
For science, I also put it up against a couple of other Syrahs that have been featured here that I’ve enjoyed previously.
Both the Sterling and Peterson have more age on them, so the tannins were substantially more mellow. The Sterling has a more restrained nose and trends more towards dried cranberry (last time I had it in 2021 I noted it was dark fruit, so it has evolved some) - I put this more towards a Rhone style now and rate it highly. The Peterson also leans more towards cranberry, but has a nice baking spice note that also comes through as cedar/tinder box/cigar box that I also found on the 2012 Peterson. This 2013 Peterson I actually feel drinks better than the 2012 (2012 had a jolly rancher note I don’t enjoy)
Overall - this Ram’s Gate Syrah drinks quite well and is right in the middle of the range for what I view as a typical Syrah. Most people will find it drinks pretty elegantly but will get more enjoyment out of it with a few more years of cellar or a long decant.
I put the retail price around $50 and CM around $20-25 so I’ll probably sit this one out.
Sooo late on the rattage. But there were plenty of others. I may be the lone dissenter on this bottle though. I received a bottle of the 2015 Syrah and it was not entirely what I expected. To be fair, I am also still getting over a cold, so my taste is a bit out of sync.
I drink a fair amount of Syrah, so I’m used to bold flavors and a lot of structure from them. Right out of the gate, DO NOT pop and pour this one. It is tighter than a vice grip as soon as it’s opened. A nice ripe black cherry nose and a lot of alcohol is all I got. Similar on the first sip, ripe cherry, sure, but also a cacophany of booze, bitterness, and tannin. I literally just sat the glass down and waited an hour, because this wine needs to breathe.
After some time to air out it’s grievances, there’s a bit more harmony in the glass. You get a lot more of the ripe cherry notes and I pick up a nice fresh raspberry to lighten the flavor. The tannins are strong, so even though it’s incredibly dark and flavorful, it’s not “thick” and finishes almost a bit too dry for me. The background bitterness is dulled but not totally gone for me at this point. It morphed into almost a petroleum note. This is where I’m on the fence. I don’t cellar wines for any significant length of time. It certainly could mellow a bit more and maybe some of the notes I’m not huge on will blend into a super savory wine with a nice fruit backbone. It certainly could.
Day 2
I’ll keep Day 2 short and sweet. It was fine, but didn’t totally open up for me. There was much more bright fruit notes while the deeper fruit flavors were present, but not the majority anymore. The petroleum note was gone, so that was good, but there was still a bit of bitterness on the back of the tongue that I just couldn’t love. The tannins held up, so it was a pleasant structure (sometimes Day 2 will be thin but without the dryness of tannin, you know?).
Overall, I don’t think this is my style of wine and I honestly think I would have liked it a few years younger or a few years older. So folks who want to take a shot on another couple years in the bottle could be richly rewarded, but as of today, your mileage may vary.
The 2016 Parmelee Hill Syrah is the bookend of our Syrah program to that of Hyde. Parmelee Hill Vineyard is situated in the foothills on the western edge of Sonoma Valley, below the Sonoma Mountain range. Warmer afternoon sunshine bathes this vineyard, promoting the more fruit-forward side of Syrah. With Asian plum sauce and fruit preserves on the nose, the Parmelee Hill Syrah is extremely inviting. Mushroom, earth, and bramble fruit on the palate lend intrigue to the wine while well-integrated tannin finishes the wine with polish and style.
Parmelee-Hill Vineyard
The 52-acre Parmelee-Hill Vineyard grows on the protected side of a hill, where the climate is typical of coastally influenced areas: morning fog retreats during warming midday hours. The warmth is commonly broken, however, by intense afternoon ocean winds that quickly drop the temperature. This type of climate tends to be self-restricting, resulting in naturally low-yielding vines producing fruit with intense flavor.
Specs
Composition: 100% Syrah
Appellation: Sonoma Coast
Vineyard: Parmelee-Hill Vineyard
Clones: Durell Selection (Syrah 1, Syrah Noir)
Aging: 18 months in 30% new French oak
Alcohol: 14.4%
pH: 3.45
Production: 240 cases
2015 Ram’s Gate Hyde Vineyard Syrah, Carneros
Tasting Notes
From the famed Hyde Vineyard in Carneros, the 2015 Hyde Syrah demonstrates that Syrah too does well in the cool-Carneros region. Grown on the northeastern portion of the Hyde Vineyard, the Syrah enjoys a lengthy growing season that stretched into October. Classic pink-peppercorn pop immediately after pouring accompanied by the typical red fruit that is consistent with this wine. As the wine opens, smoked meats, tobacco, and earth lure you into this full-bodied Syrah. A generous palate with well-developed and polished tannin makes for a delicious wine that has both density and lithe, a contradictory idea that ought to live out over many years.
Hyde Vineyard
It is both the site itself and the Hyde family’s pedigree that makes Hyde Vineyard grapes so special. Not only is it a well-situated vineyard with optimal growing conditions located in eastern Carneros, but the vineyard manager himself has been at the cutting edge of wine growing for decades. Larry Hyde is one of the most knowledgeable and humble growers out there, tending his vines with an exceptional understanding of his site and how various clones perform.
Perched upon a hill, where the San Francisco Bay meets the edges of Napa and Sonoma counties, lies Ram’s Gate Winery. The beautifully designed winery and tasting room overlooks the organically farmed estate vineyard uniquely positioned between three AVAs - the Sonoma Valley on the south side, the Sonoma Coast on the east, and Carneros on the west.
Beginning with understanding the soil of each site, closely followed by the growing conditions of each vine, holistic steps guide us down the path of understanding that winemaking begins in the vineyard not the cellar. We take great care to be present throughout each growing season. Becoming intimately aware of the unique characteristics of each vineyard block, helps to define each vintage and make educated decisions throughout the process.
With this, we believe we are producing wines that are complex, inimitable and delicious.
Available States
AZ, CA, CO, CT, DC, FL, GA, ID, MD, MA, MI, MN, MO, NV, NY, NC, OH, OR, PA, TN, TX, VA, WA, WY
How much more are you saving by buying a full case?
(Note: tax and shipping are not included in savings calculations).
Ram’s Gate Single Vineyard Syrah - $80 = 16.66%
2015 Ram’s Gate Hyde Vineyard Syrah
Always a privilege to get an unexpected labrat package. Somehow they always seem to turn up at the door before I see the email. This time (a fist for me?) it’s not for the next day, so I can wait until tomorrow to taste - a good thing since we’ve got a dinner guest who I can get some feedback from as well!
Ram’s Gate Syrah 2015 Hyde Vineyard Syrah. 478 cases produced, per label. Tomorrow’s plan is some ribs - so hoping that will be a nice pairing.
Back label:
My husband opened it up earlier to air but didn’t tell me, but 1.5 hrs later it smells great (husband says he noticed it when he opened it, and that it still smells similar). Wish I was better at describing, but this is the smell of a good wine, that you expect to enjoy just from the smell - definitely dark fruit but with complexity. We decanted to give it more air - it’s a deep, dark color.
Poured a glass & a swirl showed some nice long legs. On tasting - oaky, peppery, dry with fruit accent - noticeable tannins, in a good way - though the tannins less noticeable over the next hour. Medium dry finish, in a way that makes you go ahead and sip again. Maybe less flavor than I expected given how much I liked the smell of it, but still a good wine. Husband also liked it, and said it went well our rib dinner. Our dinner guest is on extended dry January so unfortunately no extra notes from them, but they also thought the wine smelled good.
Overall, lovely nose, tasty wine & we’d gladly drink more. Enough complexity to hold up to a meaty meal, but not overpowering.
Thanks for the labrat opportunity!
@sallliu thank you for the report
2016 Ram’s Gate Parmelee-Hill Vineyard Syrah
Understated Elegance. This LabRat review can be summarized in just two words, Understated Elegance. I developed an affinity for Syrah when my son was stationed in Seattle and I sampled wines from many of the excellent Syrah producers in Washington state. I also had favorable impressions of Syrah from Sonoma county including those from Coppola and Chateau St Jean. My favorite Syrah from Chateau St Jean came from the Durell vineyard from which Ram’s Gate has also sourced Syrah. I have not tasted the Ram’s Gate Durell Syrah but was similarly impressed with the Parmelee vineyard and would rate it among the best Syrahs I have had the opportunity to taste.
The bottle arrived just in time for my birthday celebration. This review is for the 2016 vintage. The pour was the expected reddish purple. Lots of dark fruit on the nose. The same expected dark fruits in the mouth with some plum and cherry notes. Soft silky tannins abound with medium body and medium warm and pleasant finish. This wine is not particularly acidic and has no extreme or off putting features. It is smooth, well balanced, and a legitimate crowd pleaser which can be easily sipped on its own or paired with a variety of different food styles.
On to the pairings, I brought the bottle to a local steakhouse with a reasonable corkage fee. I skipped the salad course and started with fried calamari and onion rings. Then came the T-bone steak. I brought the rest of the bottle home to pair with Chantilly cake and dark chocolate. This wine paired wonderfully with all of the food choices. It stood up well to the bold flavors of the steak and chocolate but did not overpower the more subtle food choices either. Overall the Ram’s Gate Syrah made for an enjoyable dinner pairing and unexpected birthday surprise. Although a bit pricey for every day drinking it would make for a nice companion to enjoy a special weekend with.
2016 Ram’s Gate Parmelee-Hill Vineyard Syrah
Lucky me getting a rat opportunity! This is the 2016 Ram’s Gate Syrah. I knew from the UPS details what the wine was and was excited for a Syrah, which is a varietal I generally put near the top of what I enjoy. Just a few notes: I’m wrapping up a cold and have a bit of congestion still that is affecting my depth of taste, I like both ranges of Syrah - a more light, Rhone style, as well as a more extracted (think Paso Robles), luscious style.
First impressions: Heavy bottle, thick foil, understated embossed label. This is a bottle that you would think was high end.
Pours a dark opaque plum in the glass. Huge aroma that hits you immediately, dominant plum with some sweetness (primarily from the fruit). Some eucalyptus, vegetal, herb notes and maybe a fleeting vanilla. Unfortunately didn’t take notes of whiffing it after some time open, but I seem to recall it settled down a bit with some of the fruit blowing off.
Smooth plum entry, a bit mouth drying, and the tannins definitely are heavily present. I didn’t get a lot of secondary flavors but it finished with a bit of a bitter aftertaste. I wasn’t particularly impressed at this point.
Day 2 and with a lot more air the tannins have mellowed out significantly and the herbal / vegetal notes have become more present. This was a lot more pleasant on day 2 and leads me to believe this needs some more age or a lot of air to show its true colors.
For science, I also put it up against a couple of other Syrahs that have been featured here that I’ve enjoyed previously.
Both the Sterling and Peterson have more age on them, so the tannins were substantially more mellow. The Sterling has a more restrained nose and trends more towards dried cranberry (last time I had it in 2021 I noted it was dark fruit, so it has evolved some) - I put this more towards a Rhone style now and rate it highly. The Peterson also leans more towards cranberry, but has a nice baking spice note that also comes through as cedar/tinder box/cigar box that I also found on the 2012 Peterson. This 2013 Peterson I actually feel drinks better than the 2012 (2012 had a jolly rancher note I don’t enjoy)
Overall - this Ram’s Gate Syrah drinks quite well and is right in the middle of the range for what I view as a typical Syrah. Most people will find it drinks pretty elegantly but will get more enjoyment out of it with a few more years of cellar or a long decant.
I put the retail price around $50 and CM around $20-25 so I’ll probably sit this one out.
Thanks as always for the opportunity.
@deadlyapp love the comparisons
2015 Ram’s Gate Hyde Vineyard Syrah, Carneros
Sooo late on the rattage. But there were plenty of others. I may be the lone dissenter on this bottle though. I received a bottle of the 2015 Syrah and it was not entirely what I expected. To be fair, I am also still getting over a cold, so my taste is a bit out of sync.
I drink a fair amount of Syrah, so I’m used to bold flavors and a lot of structure from them. Right out of the gate, DO NOT pop and pour this one. It is tighter than a vice grip as soon as it’s opened. A nice ripe black cherry nose and a lot of alcohol is all I got. Similar on the first sip, ripe cherry, sure, but also a cacophany of booze, bitterness, and tannin. I literally just sat the glass down and waited an hour, because this wine needs to breathe.
After some time to air out it’s grievances, there’s a bit more harmony in the glass. You get a lot more of the ripe cherry notes and I pick up a nice fresh raspberry to lighten the flavor. The tannins are strong, so even though it’s incredibly dark and flavorful, it’s not “thick” and finishes almost a bit too dry for me. The background bitterness is dulled but not totally gone for me at this point. It morphed into almost a petroleum note. This is where I’m on the fence. I don’t cellar wines for any significant length of time. It certainly could mellow a bit more and maybe some of the notes I’m not huge on will blend into a super savory wine with a nice fruit backbone. It certainly could.
Day 2
I’ll keep Day 2 short and sweet. It was fine, but didn’t totally open up for me. There was much more bright fruit notes while the deeper fruit flavors were present, but not the majority anymore. The petroleum note was gone, so that was good, but there was still a bit of bitterness on the back of the tongue that I just couldn’t love. The tannins held up, so it was a pleasant structure (sometimes Day 2 will be thin but without the dryness of tannin, you know?).
Overall, I don’t think this is my style of wine and I honestly think I would have liked it a few years younger or a few years older. So folks who want to take a shot on another couple years in the bottle could be richly rewarded, but as of today, your mileage may vary.
@neilornot thank you for the rattage
Ram’s Gate Single Vineyard Syrah
2 bottles for $79.99 $40/bottle + $4/bottle shipping
Case of 12 for $399.99 $33.33/bottle + $1/bottle shipping
2016 Ram’s Gate Parmelee-Hill Vineyard Syrah
2015 Ram’s Gate Hyde Vineyard Syrah
2016 Ram’s Gate Parmelee-Hill Vineyard Syrah, Sonoma Coast
Tasting Notes
Parmelee-Hill Vineyard
Specs
2015 Ram’s Gate Hyde Vineyard Syrah, Carneros
Tasting Notes
Hyde Vineyard
Specs
What’s Included
2-bottles:
Case:
Price Comparison
Not for sale online, $840/case MSRP
About The Winery
Available States
AZ, CA, CO, CT, DC, FL, GA, ID, MD, MA, MI, MN, MO, NV, NY, NC, OH, OR, PA, TN, TX, VA, WA, WY
Estimated Delivery
Thursday, Mar 2 - Monday, Mar 6
Two excellent vineyards. Looks like a great offer!
How much more are you saving by buying a full case?
(Note: tax and shipping are not included in savings calculations).
Ram’s Gate Single Vineyard Syrah - $80 = 16.66%
So these are normally $70 apiece MSRP? Interesting…