Some tea-bag and sweet-tobacco character to the dark-fruit and lightly toasted-oak character on both the nose and palate. Full-bodied, chewy and polished with a long, flavorful finish. Fine, powdery tannins. Needs time to soften, but already very pretty. Drink or hold.

Currants, savory spices, dried flowers, charcoal, and loamy earth all emerge from the 2018 Syrah The Deal, which comes from the Sundance Vineyard on the Wahluke Slope. Showing plenty of more savory, earthy notes, it hits the palate with medium to full-bodied richness, a rounded, expansive texture, and ripe, polished tannins. It shows the more elegant, streamlined style of the vintage, yet I love its balance. It's going to benefit from 2-3 years of bottle age and keep for 10-12.

Sourced from the Sundance vineyard, set on alluvial flood soils (volcanic sand), the 2018 Syrah The Deal was aged in 25% new oak puncheons for 20 months before bottling. The palate shows pretty red florals and a core of dark fruits, with shades of wet sand producing a lovely salty, mouthwatering effect. -- Owen Bargreen