"2014 was the driest year of the drought," winemaker Eric Baugher says. "We had one-third the normal rainfall." This is the current vintage for the Lytton Estate Syrah. "It's only sold in the tasting room, so we release it only when we feel it's ready. We make it in the Côte-Rôtie style, co-fermented with Viognier." Medium to deep ruby-purple, the 2014 Syrah Lytton Estate (6% Viognier) gives up warm boysenberries, blueberries, black cherries and blackcurrants with white pepper, sage brush, fried herbs, iron, toasted coconut and bitter chocolate with accents of game meats and red fruit sparks. Medium to full-bodied, it floods the mouth with fruits, spices and savory nuances—great concentration!—with firm, pleasantly chalky-textured tannins and seamless freshness, finishing very long and layered.