2019 Latta Wines Syrah Upland Vineyard

83 cs. made. $55/btl.

94 pts. Vinous | 92 pts. James Suckling

Andrew began working with Todd Newhouse and Upland Vineyard twelve years ago with Grenache for us and Syrah for another winery. These blocks are highly desired and never change hands. We finally talked Todd into a small section of the old Syrah block in 2018 and now the wine is finally here! Deep, dark color and matching brooding aromatics are the first impression. It continues with dark berries, sage, and grilled rare ribeye. This is serious broad-shouldered red wine, tannin and supporting freshness are firm and this wine has a long future ahead of it. 2.8 tons/acre. A lengthy maceration with 65% stems and 35% whole berries lend depth to the aromatics and a savory note to the finish. This 100% Syrah is aged in second-fill 500L puncheons for 22 months before bottling.

Upland Vineyard is a rolling extremely sloped site located in the Snipes Mountain AVA.  Snipes Mountain was named for Ben Snipes, an early Yakima County pioneer who built a house at the base of a mountain in the 1850s. The area was first planted in 1917 by Washington State wine pioneer William B. Bridgman, twice elected Mayor of Sunnyside. The vineyard on Snipes Mountain was the first to plant Vitis vinifera commercially in Washington. Snipes Mountain is a seven-mile-long anticline ridge created by fault activity. The "peak" is 1,290 feet high, rising from the floor of the Yakima Valley with unique, rocky alluvial deposits then forming aridisols on the hill. These rocky deposits are composed of gravels and sediments left by ancient river beds, the ubiquitous rocks range in size from a fist to a football.