2024 Desire Lines Sky Vineyards Syrah

95 points – Antonio Galloni, Vinous
“The 2024 Syrah Sky Vineyards shows why this site is so highly regarded. Floral overtones meld seamlessly into red cherry fruit, iron, cedar, sweet pipe tobacco and dried leaves. This is such a distinctive wine, one that deftly balances varietal character with the strong site imprint of Mt. Veeder. The 35% stems are beautifully woven into the wine’s fabric. Superb.” 

Our 2024 Sky Vineyards Syrah was picked on September 7 (and trucked down hairpin-riddled Cavedale Road by yours truly…). The fruit was fermented without inoculation with 33% whole clusters for three weeks in tank; drained and pressed to a single 500-liter barrel, and left there on fine lees without racking, fining, or filtration for 15 months before bottling. In some sense, this is our winemaking stripped down to just the essential elements, allowing the purity and intensity of this high-elevation mountain fruit to shine through.

Whereas our 2023 leaned into cool-vintage tension and lift, the 2024 shows a more generous, sun-kissed expression of Sky – richer black fruit, a deeper core of blackberry and red cherry, with that characteristic herbal and minty top-note from the wild yerba santa that borders our Upper block. The tannins remain supple, the finish long and savory. We’re thrilled with this wine and look forward to enjoying it for many years to come.