Two Vintners is one of Washington's best new wineries. I've liked everything I've had from them, but winemaker Morgan Lee's deft hand with syrah is especially compelling. It's the best of old world characteristics and new world fruit. Lucky me, my best friend Margot is one of his original fans and she frequently brings them over. We shared one of the plain syrahs last night at our first experiment with socially distanced entertaining (outside, couples together at each of the long ends of the table, all food on platters, each couple given their own set of tongs for serving).
II Vintners (as the name appears on the label) has two, or at least two, higher end syrahs called (any John Denver fans out there?) Some Days Are Diamonds and Some Days Are Stones. Two different sources with different characteristics. The first is more conventional, and the latter is fruit from WA's newest and ultimately most eminent place for syrahs, the Rocks District which made Cristophe Baron's Cayuse wines so famous.
Anyway, when I went to post my TN on last night's syrah on CT just now, I pulled up all my notes on all Two Vintners wines for a retrospective. Fun to see how the '15 arrived at it's destination last night. For those of you unfamiliar with WA in general or II Vintners in particular, the following might be compelling evidence that you should change that.
2015 Two Vintners Syrah Columbia Valley (Last night)
Margot's. Spectacular showing and just what we needed to restore our faith after that duff bottle last September. Great balance of black fruit, black olive, bacon and mild funk with oodles of body but enough acidity and tannins to keep it on its feet. Mindblowing good, and my mind is blown all over again this morning realizing this is only a $21 wine. Drinking beautifully now with plenty of upside potential. I'm holding the window open to 2025.
2015 Two Vintners Syrah Some Days are Stones Walla Walla Valley (Jan 2020)
Margot's. Not advisable to PnP as we did, this one needs/deserves more time to open up especially considering the elevated abv. Nonetheless--sturdy black fruits, parched earth, fresh clay, bay leaf and tar. Needs time to knit together and become a cohesive drink.
2015 Two Vintners Syrah Columbia Valley (September 2019)
Margot's bottle. Jarringly raw and undrinkable on first pour, very different from my own bottle opened a month ago but not possessing any flaws of the typical kind other than that it's just a crappy bottle of wine. If I didn't know better from another recent bottle, I'd presume this was what it was intended to be--almost surprised not to find pulp in the bottom of the bottle. Abandoned as unservable with dinner.
2015 Two Vintners Syrah Columbia Valley (August 2019)
For my tastes, very primary and in need of more cellaring. Hold for 2021.
2015 Two Vintners Syrah Some Days are Stones Walla Walla Valley (July 2019)
Margot's. Earth, black pepper, black fruit, Rocks funk. Very much a junior version of the heftier 2010 Reynvaan ITR drunk immediately before it.
2015 Two Vintners Lola Walla Walla Valley Syrah Blend, Syrah (June 2019)
Margot's. Not normally a cab-syr blend fan (why mute what's great about either?), but this one works. Has that great Rocks funk in the background with the sturdy blackberry pie fruit of WA cabernet, all presented with TV's signature elegance. If the community price is accurate (this wasn't my bottle), this is a steal for under $30.
2014 Two Vintners Syrah Some Days are Stones Walla Walla Valley (July 2019)
Margot's. Fantastic Rocks funk with sweet raspberry fruit, fennel, tar and loads of white pepper. Very Northern Rhonish with great lift and definition from better than expected acidity (compared to most WA syrahs) and no obvious oak. I want more!