2021 Backlit

50% Syrah, 17% Mourvèdre, 17% Carignan, 16% Grenache. This is a classic example of an iron fist in a velvet glove, a real beauty! Native yeast fermented with 20% whole clusters in concrete and stainless steel with a variety of pump overs and punch downs depending on desired extraction for 20 to 36 days. Basket pressed into a selection of French barriques and puncheons (15% new) then aged for 20 months. The nose boasts notes of macerated blueberries and huckleberries, local sages after a rain complicated with orange pekoe tea and Lupine flowers. The palate is evocative and bassy with black fruits, vanilla bean, black licorice, and violets, finishing with ripe balanced tannins and tremendous texture. A wine for thought and reflection. Drink 2025-2040

"The 2021 Backlit is an effortlessly balanced, expressive blend of 50% Syrah, 17% Mourvèdre, 17% Grenache and 16% Carignan. Matured for 20 months in 33% new French oak, its oak spice is already well integrated into a core of cassis fruit on the nose, and it offers continually blossoming accents of iron, prosciutto, milk chocolate and thyme. The full-bodied palate is concentrated yet not over the top in terms of ripeness. It has a support of chalky tannins, energetic acidity and a very long finish laced with pure violet tones. It will be long lived in the cellar."
96+ pts - The Wine Advocate

"A more Syrah-dominated effort, the 2021 Backlit is a blend of 50% Syrah and the rest nearly equal parts Mourvèdre, Grenache, and Carignan. Ripe darker berries, peppery herbs, violets, and exotic floral notes all define this beauty, and it's medium to full-bodied on the palate, with a layered, concentrated mouthfeel, ripe tannins, and a great finish."
95 pts - Jeb Dunnuck