Coming from the Oldfield and Boushey Vineyards (basically the same vineyard), the 2017 Syrah Motor City Kitty Oldfield-Boushey Vineyard is slightly darker colored and, as with all the Rhones here, wasn't destemmed and was brought up in mostly neutral puncheons. Blackberries, smoked earth, game, chocolate, and chalky minerality all emerge from this beauty, and it's a powerful, full-bodied, concentrated effort that will evolve positively for 2-4 years and keep for a decade.

Deep ruby-red. Spectacular wild nose offers most of the Syrah food groups: black raspberry, cured meats, olive, black pepper, coffee and a whiff of balsamico. Wonderfully silky yet penetrating, showing a restrained sweetness to its flavors of dark berries, herbs, olive tapenade and bitter chocolate. Boasts excellent inner-mouth tension and salinity but without any hardness; in fact there's an almost unctuous quality to the wine's silky texture. Finishes with substantial dusty tannins. This wine received an élevage of 18 months (relatively short for the K Syrahs) and still needs a year or two to mellow in bottle. (15% alcohol; all Phelps clones; from a vineyard owned by Efesté that's the highest block farmed by Dick Boushey)

A gutsy red that's refined and focused, with bold blueberry and currant flavors that are laced with black olive and peppered beef. Drink now through 2030. 1,227 cases made.

Opening with a nose of dark fruits, black peppercorn and crushed rock, the 2017 MCK Syrah has black raspberries and lavender elements in the glass. Medium to full-bodied, the wine is expressive with tones of grilled sausage, blackcurrants and chocolate-covered blueberries, ending with a lingering finish that grips with mineral tension.