2020 Syrah Old Vines

It’s always a pleasure to taste through this range with Bill Wathen and Dick Doré, two of Santa Barbara’s old-timers. Wathen and Dore, along with winemaker David Whitehair, fashion distinctive wines from some of the county’s finest vineyards. "Two thousand-twenty was the most stressful vintage I have ever seen. It had nothing to do with the weather, but in finding crews to work because of COVID," Wathen explained at Foxen, highlighting a whole set of logistical challenges producers also faced. “Temperatures reached 120 degrees in Santa Ynez,” he added. I find these wines incredibly pure. The Rhone-variety wines, which were still in barrel at the time of my tastings, are among the most promising in the range.