The 2018 Syrah Vellutini Ranch opens with luscious cassis, milk chocolate and sweet spices. The full-bodied palate is rich and velvety, with youthfully gregarious fruits and a long, flavorful finish. Give this classy, ripe Syrah another 2-3 years in bottle. 137 cases were made.

Opaque ruby-purple, the 2017 Syrah Vellutini Ranch takes its time to open aromatically, slowly offering cocoa powder, blueberries, cassis and violets with touches of coffee, soil and mint. The palate is medium to full-bodied with bold but nuanced fruits, a grainy frame and long, lifted finish.

Very deep, opaque purple-black in color, the 2016 Syrah Vellutini Ranch opens with aromas of bitter chocolate and violets with blueberry jam, blackberry and black cherry pie, boysenberry, olive and bacon fat—an incredible array of fruit and savory layers on the nose. Full-bodied and wonderfully concentrated in the mouth, it has very firm, ripe, grainy tannins and mouthwatering acidity to lift the savory, evolving finish. Only 75 cases were made.

The 2015 Syrah Vellutini Ranch is very deep purple-black colored with a slightly muted nose of Black Forest cake, blackberry pie and preserved plums with touches of sandalwood, aniseed, cracked black pepper and bay leaves. The full-bodied palate is just humongous with densely packed, concentrated black fruit and peppery flavors supported by firm, chewy tannins and just enough freshness, finishing with epic length. 64 cases were made.

The 2013 Syrah Vellutini Ranch is more opulent, and has a more opaque purple color as well as a sweet, gorgeous nose of blueberries, black berries and flowers. It is meaty, rich, and again, is a substantial mouthful of Syrah that makes one wonder why Syrahs aren’t flying off the shelves, given their quality.