2016 Syrah Hidden Terrace Vineyard

Despite boasting a long track record that goes back to 1973 – long by California standards – Fisher remains an under the radar jewel of an estate making wines that are widely deserving of more attention. I was deeply impressed with the wines I tasted during my most recent visit. Whitney Fisher and Adam Goodrich craft striking, classically-leaning wines from the Fisher family's estate vineyards in Calistoga and Spring Mountain. The Chardonnays are representative examples of phenolic, mountain Chardonnay that sees 15-16 months in barrel, which is on the longer side for California. The bottled 2016 red wines are every bit as superb as I hoped they would be when I tasted several wines from barrel. I found more variability with the 2017s, for obvious reasons. Today, the 2017s come across as a bit light and lacking in depth relative to the best years. It will be interesting to see what time and aging bring.