K Vintners 2020 'Motor City Kitty' Syrah, Yakima Valley

K Vintners 2020 'Motor City Kitty' Syrah, Yakima Valley

Item Number: 23172

UPC: None

Country: USA
Region: Washington
Sub Region: Yakima Valley
Appellation/AVA: Yakima Valley
Estate Grown Wine: No
Vineyard Designation: Boushey Vineyard
Vintage: 2020
Grape(s): 100% Syrah
Type: Wine - Red
Bottle Size: 750 ml
Pack: 12
Closure: Cork
Alc by Vol(%): 15
Total Acidity: 6.3 g/L
pH: 3.85
Viticulture: Practicing Organic
Soil Type: Volcanic sand
Elevation: 1,400 feet
Case Production: 1,625

Vineyard Notes: Boushey Vineyard (100%). Owned by Dick Boushey, one of the premier vineyard owners in Washington State. This is the highest elevation plot and has a southwestern slope and sandy volcanic soils. Three clones of Syrah are planted on this site: 383, 174 and Joseph Phelps.

Farming Notes: All vineyards are sustainably farmed, following organic principles. Zero pesticides, zero herbicides and zero adjuncts are used. Harvest is manual.

Winemaking Notes: 3 tons per acre. 100 % whole cluster fermentation in concrete tank and stainless steel with native yeast, 48 days on skins. 21 months aged on lees, in 25% new French oak puncheons. Bottled from gross lees, unfined and unfiltered. Vegan friendly.

Tasting Notes: Dense, rich, action packed. Explosive dark cherry, huckleberry, black olive. Ash, grilled herb, wet earth. Great intensity, taut and balanced.

Reviews

  • Vinous
    Rating: 96+ (3/2/2023)

    Dark and viral in the glass with savory exotic spices, crushed ashen stones, grilled sage and smoked meats, the 2020 Syrah Motor City Kitty (MCK) makes a big first impression. This is texturally deep with a wave of mineral-tinged black fruits accelerated by sour citrus, as sweet herbal tones form toward the close. The 2020 tapers off with a potent concentration of wild berries and smoky earth, as gently grippy tannins tug at the palate. There's simple so much going on here, and so much more to come through cellaring.

  • The Wine Advocate
    Rating: 95+ (5/11/2023)
    Floral, focused and mineral-driven, the 2020 MCK Syrah offers dark red fruits with delightful red and pink peppercorn notes. Full-bodied and with 15% alcohol, the palate firms up with gripping tannins to reveal a rich mineral tension that lingers on the long, boozy finish. The MCK Syrah will remain a powerhouse and please New World Syrah lovers around the globe.
  • Jeb Dunnuck
    Rating: 93 (6/14/2023)
    Coming all from the Boushey Vineyard on the western side of the Yakima Valley, the 2020 Syrah Motor City Kitty boasts a deep ruby/plum hue as well as a great perfume of smoky red and black fruits, gravelly earth, and pepper. A more masculine-styled Syrah that’s medium to full-bodied, structured, and balanced, give it a few years and enjoy over the following decade.
  • James Suckling
    Rating: 98 (12/13/2023)

    #6 on Top 100 Wines of the USA This is a serious and intense syrah. Complex notes of chocolate, blackberries, black cherries, cedar and nutmeg here, with cracked pepper, rosemary and dried lavender. Evolving. Firm, tight and compact, with a full body. Beautiful freshness, too. More structure here. Try from 2025.