2013 Syrah Variations on a Clone, Op. 877

Scott Sampler makes some of the most idiosyncratic and deeply personal wines in Santa Barbara. Sampler favors extended macerations often exceeding 100 days, which is much longer than the norm these days pretty much anywhere in the world. Many of the wines are done with some whole clusters. Sampler's approach seems especially well-suited to Syrah. Readers can explore those expressions in the Variations on a Theme set of three single-clone bottlings and in the Names Syrah, which is a blend of all three. Sampler also makes a Syrah from Stolpman, one of the better known sites in Ballard Canyon, that is named for vineyard manager Ruben Solorzano, who is among the most respected and admired professionals in Santa Barbara. Indeed, Sampler chose not to show any Grenache-based wines this year based on my critiques of those wines last year. No matter, these wines are all compelling and well worth checking out for readers who want to explore the more adventurous side of Santa Barbara.