98pts James Suckling

So peppery, wild and dramatic, with aromas of beef crudo, turned earth, iron filings and black pepper. Structured for aging, yet so elegant and smooth, laced with filigreed tannins. Full-bodied but sleek, trim and compact. Stays fresh and lively in the glass. From organically grown grapes. Drinkable now, but best from 2030.

97pts Robert Parker's Wine Advocate

Along with its other high-density counterparts, the 2022 Syrah The Great Places August James Stolpman is a dramatic step forward for Syrah in Santa Barbara County. It presents east-facing, stake-trained vines planted to 6,000 vines per acre, as well as a portion of interconnected vines layered via "provignage" from a single mother vine, with the plant material originating from Domaine Auguste Clape's pre-clonal holdings in the Reynard lieu-dit. The most initially introverted of The Great Places quartet, aromas of kelp, clove, espresso and purple flowers assemble slowly around a core of saturated dark fruits. The palate offers an intensity, concentration and floating quality that all seem to compound each other, forming a spellbinding texture that is altogether unique and deeply captivating. Among this textural intrigue, a simmering tension builds and releases into a fantastic finish of paradoxes: lifted yet grounded, floral yet meaty, complex yet straight to the point, all framed with supple, precise and ethereally grippy tannins that expand and linger. This is the only wine like it in Santa Barbara County—if not California—and due to its embryonic nature, I would strongly recommend holding off on popping corks, as difficult as that may prove. 110 cases were produced.

97pts Vinous

The 2022 Syrah August James Stolpman is superb. A rich, deep wine, the 2022 possesses tremendous depth and a bit more overall complexity to match. Tasted from barrel just prior to bottling, the 2022 remains an exceptional wine with tremendous potential.

Tasting Notes

The smoke from exotic skewered meats and aromatic trays of olives filter softly through the drapery mixing with the salty ocean air.  Rays of red to blue to purple fruit pierce through the room at sunset - captivating the senses with a dashing last wink of confidence.   Finishing with a creamy, malty sense of calm.  

About the Wine

Stolpman’s Pre Clonal, Own Rooted Projects

In 2007, our vineyard manager Ruben Solorzano embarked on the most ambitious project in the new world – gathering pre clonal vine material from some of the world’s best vineyards, and then planting those vines without rootstock at our vineyard in Ballard Canyon. This vine material was planted own rooted with 2.5 x 3 foot spacing allowing for 6,000 vines per acre which produce wines unlike anything we had ever tasted. Each acre can only be worked by hand – requiring the full-time human labor of one person per year, per acre to bring these wines to you. There are no tractors. There are no short cuts. This is what we’ve been working on since 2007 and we’re excited to share it with you.

In early 2013, after a seminal visit to Domaine Auguste Clape, we set out to model a vineyard after Clape’s Reynard parcel.  The steep, east-facing hillside produced its first crop, barely 400 pounds of fruit, in 2017, the same year our son August, was born.

Organic

Biodynamic