Dark, finger-staining blackberry with a little blueberry and currant flavors with a halo of five spice, black olive and wild herbs define the Obsidian Ridge Vineyard Syrah 2019. The wine’s power, persistence and definitive varietal character makes one wonder why Syrah (generally) has a hard time finding homes. Beats me. The style and quality, combined with the sun-baked, arid, hillside vineyard makes comparisons to the best of France’s Northern Rhone Valley a natural.
From Obsidian’s estate-grown “Obsidian Ridge Vineyard,” a unique, special vineyard that will surely gain in stature in the coming years. Planted to the five Bordeaux varieties plus a little Syrah, it’s an ideal site to make bold red wines with underpinnings of earth. That’s what you get from Obsidian and at fantastic values to boot.
The grape-growing, winemaking, sales and marketing team at Obsidian Wine Co. deliver outstanding wines from divergent topographies: “The Sea” of Poseidon Estate & “The Sky” of Obsidian Ridge Vineyard. The wines are pure, honest representations of the grape and the best of what California can offer. And fantastic values across the board. Few addendums to share…1) co-founders Peter and Arpad Molnar own a cooperage in Hungary which is the source of all barrels used in their winemaking. 2) Obsidian has a fantastic and convenient tasting venue in the Cornerstone Sonoma marketplace. Go there. 3) If you have room in your life for a(nother) wine club membership, consider Obsidian Wine Co’s. My reviews include two wines that are for club members only: Malbec and “Half Mile” Cab.
