OWC 3 Grenache, 3 Syrah

The Wine Independent

TWI97-99

The 2021 Unanswered Prayers Grenache comes from Bien Nacido, Rancho Boa Vista and Sanford & Benedict Vineyards. The composition is 76.5% Grenache with 11.3% Syrah, 5.5% Mourvèdre, 4% Petite Sirah, and a 2.7% splash of the White Wine (Chardonnay, Roussanne, and Marsanne) from this year. It was made with 42% whole clusters and aged 20 months in French oak, 38% new. Opaque purple-black colored, it leaps with bold notes of black cherries, black raspberries, and lilacs with nuances of tar, wild sage, and lavender. The bright, shimmery, full-bodied palate is laden with crunchy black fruits, textured by silky-soft tannins and seamless freshness, finishing long with loads of floral and red berry sparks. This was bottled in July 2023. 438 cases were made.

Jeb Dunnuck

JD97-99

The 2021 Syrah Unanswered Prayers appears to be ever so slightly more successful than the Grenache (which, given the differences in the vintage, certainly makes sense). It has an incredibly pure, flawlessly balanced, full-bodied style to go with perfumed aromatics of darker berry fruits, ground pepper, smoked game, and iron. With a vibrant spine of acidity, utterly flawless balance, and ripe tannins, it's going to flirt with perfection at maturity.