2020 Red Mountain Syrah

Best in Class, Platinum, 2024 San Diego International Wine Challenge
Double Gold, 2024 Pacific Northwest Wine Competition
Double Gold, 2024 San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition
Gold, 2024 Hilton Head Food & Wine Festival
94 Points, Pacific Northwest Wine Competition
94 Points, Rich Cook, Wine Review Online

This magnificent wine has won a cavalcade of awards and recognition. It comes from Red Mountain’s Red Heaven Vineyard; Argonne Cellars is fortunate to be sourcing these grapes from among just 15 acres of Syrah planted across 9 blocks. The Phelps Clone grapes, originally from the famed Joseph Phelps Vineyard in Napa, were selected as a great candidate for the conditions found in the coveted Red Mountain AVA. 

The winter prior to this vintage was cold and it came along with an equally cool Spring. This less than nominal weather along with intensive COVID-driven crop management all ended up with reduced crop yields and exceptionally intense flavors followed. This Syrah was the first pick of the season and yielded exceptionally juicy, powerful grapes. 

This wine is round and fruity, with black fruit and pepper on the nose, and is a mixture of berries and leather on the palate. It is every bit as inky and deep as the Argonne Cellars Petit Verdot and Malbec, and that’s saying something.
 
Like our other reds, we produced this wine with gentle processing, whole berry fermentation, virtually no sulfites added during fermentation, and we allowed it to fully finish in situ prior to pressing. Barreling was done in new Pennsylvania oak, coopered in France with toasted Argonne Oak staves.

Red Mountain AVA
Red Heaven Vineyard

Compare to: 2020 Canvasback Red Mountain Syrah Red Heaven Vineyard
Compare to: 2020 Component Collection Syrah | Col Solare Winery