Joyce Tondre Syrah 2018 | Stunning & Exuberant 95pts | Editors Choice
Joyce Tondre Syrah 2018 pours a brilliant deep purple core moving to an electric pink rim. Warm spiced plums, black cherries, and blackberry share the stage alongside violets and cracked pepper. In the background, there are wild scents of roasted meat, grilled resinous herbs, and raw chocolate. Black olive is a driving force pushing the nose, and is accompanied by softer tones of rich garden soil in the background. Full and rich on the palate, the mouthfeel carries a suppleness to the fine-grained tannins. The noble structure provided by the coastal mountains of Monterey delivers hedonistic thoughts, on a long spiced finish.
More Sensational Cellar Selections
95WE | Editors Choice | This is an exuberant and crunchy display of cool-climate Syrah from a vineyard planted in 1997, starting with aromas of bay leaf, wild herb, peppercorns, coffee husks, raw lamb and underripe boysenberry on the nose. Crisp fruit flavors pop on the palate before the peppery spices and gamy meat flavors take hold.
Tondré Grapefield’s Joe Alarid
From his prime spot of Santa Lucia Highlands, just southwest of Soberanes and Garys’ Vineyards, Tondré Grapefield’s Joe Alarid grows grapes of impeccable quality. The strong marine influences and well-drained gravelly loam that produce some of California’s greatest Pinot Noir and Chardonnay also lend themselves to beautifully spiced Syrah.
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The 2018 Joyce is hand-harvested and fermented with 50% whole clusters, a choice that some of the top winemakers in California believe that, like adding a dash of salt to food, brings out the grape’s already present flavors—in Syrah, that’s bacon fat, pepper, and olive. It’s aged in a combination of concrete and all-neutral oak before bottling.
Winemaker Russell Joyce
Russell Joyce worked in the produce industry as well as metal fabrications prior to becoming lead winemaker of Joyce Wine Co. in 2010. His true passion has always been winemaking as he grew up working alongside his father and former winemaker, Francis Joyce. Having grown up in Monterey County, Russell is especially passionate about the local terroir and making wines that showcase all that Monterey AVA has to give us.
Russell Joyce sells half of this wine himself, through the winery and The Wine House, his Carmel Valley wine bar. The rest usually goes to high-end oenophile destinations in Monterey, SF, and Los Angeles. But today, it’s here at the best price in the nation. Ten years of wondering and waiting… we did it, so you could have this wine today. Don’t miss it.
