2020 Cep Vineyards Estate Syrah, Sonoma Coast

Cep Syrah is made from barrels of Peay Estate Syrah that were not selected for the final blends of Les Titans or La Bruma. As a result, this is an amazing value since it is grown and made to be a Peay Syrah but these barrels didn’t make those wines taste better. Still very good, just not better. The 2020 Cep Syrah straight up reminds me of a Crozes Hermitage Syrah. Not trying to borrow from that region, but due to a warmer than normal vintage, the wine just has that blueberry mixed with black olive aroma sweetened by wafts of bacon fat that those who know Crozes associate with the region. The flavors on the palate are not quite as plush as the nose would suggest, showing our Peay terroir with less fruit and more muscle. As the wine carries to the back of the mouth, garrigue notes enter the overall taste profile and a squid ink quality also adds ballast to the fruit making this a more interesting and multi-dimensional wine. Again, Cep wines deliver incredible value for the price.