The 2022 K Vintners Motor City Kitty (MCK) Syrah is a Yakima Valley, Washington bottling that has drawn standout attention from several major critics. The best reviews are unequivocally at the top end of the scale: James Suckling and Jeb Dunnuck both awarded 98 points, positioning this as one of the producer’s most celebrated recent Syrahs.

Suckling calls it “an extremely complex, smoky, terroir-driven syrah,” built around “crushed wild berries and plum skins” with “white pepper and cured meat,” finishing “long and persistent… with… crushed herbs and ashy soil” (James Suckling, 98). Dunnuck also emphasizes site pedigree and structure, describing “a ripe style and lots of wood,” but also “something very special” in its “spicy, meaty, herbal complexion,” and, importantly, its “sense of purity and balance” (Jeb Dunnuck, 98). His note includes key winemaking details: a 45-day skin fermentation in concrete, then 15 months in 500-liter puncheons on the lees.

Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate (95) adds specificity on sourcing and élevage, reporting the wine comes from Boushey Vineyard and was “matured for 20 months in new French oak puncheons.” The note points to a darker, herbal register—“blackcurrant, resinous herbs, camphor, cracked pepper and mint”—with “chalky tannins and vibrant acidity,” concluding it “will benefit from at least five years in the cellar” (Wine Advocate, 95). Production is listed at 2,802 cases.

Mid-90s scores from Vinous and Wine Spectator frame the style as savory and structured rather than merely plush. Vinous finds an “old-world Rhônes” sensibility with “grilled herbs, stewed tomatoes, olives and black raspberries,” carried by a “silken and serene” texture (Vinous, 93). Wine Spectator describes it as “burly yet retains a sense of finesse,” with blackberry, bitter chocolate, black olive, and smoked meat, recommending drinking “now through 2034” (Wine Spectator, 93).