Turtle Rock Vineyards, G2 Syrah, Willow Creek District, Paso Robles, California, 2021

Overview of the Wine
"We are a small, family owned winery located in Paso Robles. Our winemaking philosophy is simple, you can’t make great wine without great fruit. We source our fruit from some of the finest vineyards in the Templeton Gap area of Paso Robles. Through sustainable farming practices, low yields, and harvesting at optimal ripeness, we are able to make wines with both intensity and balance. We hope these wines reflect the beauty of the wonderful places these grapes are grown as well as the people who nurture them." - Don & Claudia Burns

Grape / Blend
92% Syrah, 6% Mataro, 2% Grenache

Origin
Paso Robles, California

Winemaker's Tasting Notes
Intensely aromatic, the 2021 G2 Syrah reveals an alluring blend of sweet baking spices, brown sugar, and white pepper complemented by cedar and delicate ripe cherry. Red licorice and roasted game meat add depth while rich blue and black fruits intermingle in the background. Chalky tannins hint at a future of silky refinement. With flavors evolving from citrus sap and Thai basil to luscious blueberry compote and subtle hints of pastry crust, G2 offers muscular structure that promises a graceful evolution.

98 Points - Jeb Dunnuck 
The 2021 G2 Vineyard is mostly Syrah yet includes 6% Mataro and 2% Grenache, all of which spent 22 months in 90% new French oak. Its dense purple hue is followed by a heavenly perfume of ripe blueberries, burning embers, spring flowers, and cured meats. Reminding me of a great vintage of Guigal's Côte Rôtie La Mouline (I tasted this on two separate occasions and thought of this comparison both times), it's full-bodied, has a deep, layered, multi-dimensional mouthfeel, polished tannins, and a thrilling finish. It deserves 2-4 years of bottle age and will still be drinking brilliantly at age 20. Bravo!

96 Points - Vinous 
The 2021 Syrah G2 takes its time opening in the glass, understated and coy with a lifted blend of crushed blackberries, cloves and wilted violets. This mixes savory and sweet with saline mineral tones and exotic spices, complicating ripe black fruits. Long and powerful, almost salty, with grippy tannins and hints of sour citrus that mingle through the close. The 2021 needs time and a lot of it, yet patience will be rewarded.

94 Points - Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2021 Syrah G2 is developing much more slowly than some of the other 2021s from Turtle Rock and will require significant time in bottle to unwind. Incorporating 6% Mataro and 2% Grenache, it has deep scents of cassis, milk chocolate, game meats and violet, plus latent undertones of earth and spice. The palate is full-bodied, supple and plush with a harmonious frame and youthfully coiled fruit. Hide this in the back of your cellar.

Product size: 750ml