From the wine archives:

2016 Peay Vineyards Les Titans Estate Syrah, Sonoma Coast

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Les Titans

“the Giants, the Gods”

We farm grapes on the West Sonoma Coast which is also known as the Redwood Coast. Free of human appetite, redwoods thrive on the California coast as they need wet and cool air to grow and create their own moist and chilly microclimate under their overstories. They are also very productive sinks for carbon and prolifically produce the oxygen we inhale. To walk in a redwood forest is to walk on another planet, a majestic and peaceful one.

Les Titans pays tribute to the magnificent and enormous old growth redwood trees that surround our vineyard and play a vital role in creating the timeless magic of our place. Les Titans is the more muscular of our two estate Syrah featuring dark fruit, charcuterie, black pepper, leather and game. It is not a bruiser, however, with the refreshing acidity and brightness lending the wine grace and elegance. Les Titans is a blend of four of the six clones we grow on our eight steep, terraced acres each clone playing a key role in the blend’s profile. We only make 200-300 cases in any given vintage and age the wines 16 months in barrel and just under two years in bottle before release.

And, lest you have not heard us say it before, we should state that cold climate Syrah – like Peay Syrah – is really the red wine you want to drink when you head to your cellar for something that pairs well with food. It has the flavor profile that plays well with a piece of red meat (iron, blood, red and black fruits, herbal notes, high acid) while also being light enough on its feet to complement tomato dishes, fowl, pork, and roasted vegetables. At least half the time we head to the cellar for a bottle of Pinot noir or Cabernet we emerge cradling a bottle of cold climate Syrah. It represents more than half of what we have in our cellars and may in yours, too, once you give in to it.

For our Syrah, the past seven years have been building up to the remarkable 2016 vintage. It was an ideal growing season and the wines are quite expressive of site. This is an important vintage: after a disease that decimated our Syrah blocks and a few cold vintages, our yields finally clambered back to “normal” and our vines appeared healthier. The steady weather meant the wines have power while retaining freshness. This wine is very good on release and will be one “for the ages.” I am holding back plenty to pour at wine dinners fifteen years from now.
The aroma in the nose has an alluring grilled meat and graphite quality confirmed on the palate with bold steak, black cherry, and blackberry notes added in the fore palate. The boldness of the savory and fruit notes is reined in on the mid-palate and finishes with an elegant, energetic, and persistent finish. I love the texture, which is silky with light tannins and results in what one critic referred to as a vertical structure.

Reviews for this wine

97Antonio Galloni - Vinous

Peay’s 2016 Syrah Estate Les Titans is utterly magnificent. Black cherry, plum, crème de cassis, graphite, black pepper and licorice marry perfectly with the wine’s vertical feel and sense of structure. A super-classic, cool-climate wine, the 2016 Titans dazzles from start to finish. I loved it.

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Our wines are made from grapes grown on our 53-acre hilltop vineyard located above a river in the far northwestern corner of the West Sonoma Coast, 4 miles from the Pacific Ocean. We grow Pinot Noir, Syrah, Chardonnay, Viognier, Roussanne and Marsanne. You can browse our current offerings in our online Wine Shop.

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Want Some Wine?

Our wines are made from grapes grown on our 53-acre hilltop vineyard located above a river in the far northwestern corner of the West Sonoma Coast, 4 miles from the Pacific Ocean. We grow Pinot Noir, Syrah, Chardonnay, Viognier, Roussanne and Marsanne. You can browse our current offerings in our online Wine Shop.

Shop