2013 Ross Andrew Winery Syrah Boushey Vineyard

• By Stephen Tanzer
  Focus on Washington: Hot Times in the Desert (Nov 2016), 11/1/2016, (See more on Vinous...)

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Full Pull

• By Paul Zitarelli
  Full Pull Holiday Deal, 12/3/2017

  (Ross Andrew Syrah Boushey Vineyard) Hello friends. On November 10, I received an email from an old pal in the wine trade, Ross Mickel. Here is an excerpt: In the transition of buying my winery back from Precept this past May, I’m looking to get my remaining 2013 Boushey Syrah ([REDACTED] cases) and 2013 Red Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon ([REDACTED] cases) into as many hands over the holidays as possible. To do that, I’m adjusting my pricing to $20/bottle from its previous price at $30. I don’t know if you’ve tried these wines or when the last time was, but I’d love to drop you a couple samples to see if they interest you. It’s been a very exciting and energetic transition back to being a sole proprietor these past few months; I’m channeling the energy of a 22 year old to keep on top of everything. Thank you for all your support over the years. We (I, our team, our list members) have loved Ross’ wines for many years now. A 2006 Boushey Syrah from Ross was one of my early aha moments about the quality and excitement of Washington wine. I was blown away that a Syrah at that price could be that compellingly site-expressive. The price in question for the 2006 vintage? $28. So yeah, the fact that seven vintages later, we had the opportunity to potentially offer that Boushey Syrah, and a Red Mountain Cab, for twenty bucks; let’s just say I hit reply quickly. After sampling (and loving) the wines, my original plan was to save them for our last-week-of-the-year offers. But then Ross gave me an update on the quantities, and the burn rate is scary for these two wines, perhaps unsurprising given the scale of the discount and the quality of the wines. It was enough to cause me to a) move the offer up to early December; and b) beg for a hold on reasonable parcels of each wine. That hold expires Tuesday morning, so please do try to get order requests in by Monday night. We’ll try to include a buffer for latecomer orders, but no promises. Now, onto the wines.Ross’ Boushey Syrah comes from two different blocks of the vineyard; one 14 years old, the other 23 (likely the second oldest plantings in the state after Red Willow). It was raised in French oak (mostly neutral), clocks in at 13.8% listed alc, and opens with an alluring nose of huckleberry fruit, espresso, and smoky minerals. Decidedly a fruit-driven version of Boushey Syrah (with meaty subtleties relegated to grace notes that emerge with time and air), and my oh my is that fruit pure and delicious. There’s a freshness here, something almost minty in the mid-palate, that adds lift and energy, and the character of the fruit is wild and brambly. I love the concentration and density here, all without a shred of excess weight. This is a winemaker who clearly has a deep comfort level working with this particular vineyard, and to access single vineyard Boushey Syrah at a twenty-dollar tag is a rare treat indeed.