2020 Fingers Crossed Head Held High Syrah | Oak View, Ventura County California 750ml

And last, but far from least, comes the king. Sitting atop his throne, this applaud-worthy wine is build for the ages. If properly stored, your kids will be able to consume this elixir with their kids. That's assuming one has the ability to exercise superhuman patience and self-control...
Like an olive tree, this 2020 Syrah is planted for the future generations to enjoy. Dark as the night sky, oozing with poached fruits, cracked pepper, smoked meats and tar, radiating with bright candied pomegranate acidity, and finishing oh-so-long. The noble king absorbed every ounce of new French oak we threw his way, gobbling it up like salt on a rib-eye from Snake River Farms. A few dashes of White Wine, Grenache and Mourvedre were blended into the final cuvee for added complexity, polish and panache. This year's stems were perfectly lignified (firm, brown, and full of spice and herb character as opposed to green and sappy/vegetal) and as such, we opted to include a larger amount of them than in the past - 40% stem inclusion to be exact. It didn't take long before the crevices on our hands were stained deep purple after working with this stuff, which took weeks to fully fade from our flesh. During the 20 months of aging, the wine was raced once barrel-to-barrel via gravity to keep the flowers in bloom, so to speak. Like a young vintage in bottle that benefits from a decant, a breath of oxygen to the newborn Syrah can (and does) go a long way in nurturing fresh, open-knit, and plush characteristics. We could go on and on about what's in store for you here and fill countless pages with exclamation marks and expletives, but trust us on this - you are going to want this in your arsenal. | Nikolas & Julia Krankl, Fingers Crossed

...a pure, deeply hued, powerful, medium to full-bodied barrel sample with riveting aromatics of pure black and blue fruits as well as peppery herbs, violets, and spice. The purity of fruit is something, and it's perfectly balanced, with fine tannins. The blend is 88% Syrah, 7% Grenache, 4% White varieties, and 1% Mourvedre from the Bien Nacido and Sanford & Benedict Vineyards that was 60% destemmed and will spend 20 months in 78% new French oak. There will be just 312 cases produced. | 97-99 points, Jeb Dunnuck for jebdunnuck.com