2013 Holus Bolus Syrah Sta. Rita Hills 750 ml

Sta. Rita Hills’ best-kept secret NO MORE

Around this time of year, the annual “best-of” lists start falling fast and heavy and causing those of us in the wine business an office-holiday-party-sized headache. The sleeper hits and niche finds we’ve discreetly kept to ourselves for months are inevitably outed, driving up demand and prices and wiping out allocations.

Wine Enthusiast’s Best of Year 2016 issue (Top 100 wines), which dropped in October, was no exception. Right at the very top of list, weighing in at #6 overall, was the vibrant, beautifully concentrated, and layered 2013 Holus Bolus Syrah. Sourced entirely from the John Sebastiano Vineyard by the prodigiously talented winemaker Peter Hunken, this bottle knocked the socks off the Wine Enthusiast critics, who tasted over 22,000 wines to pull together their list of the year’s best. They dropped a dazzling 95 points on the Holus Bolus Syrah, and pinned on an “Editors' Choice” commendation to boot. Sta. Rita Hills’ best-kept secret was officially out.

Hunken is a rangy, intense, yet understated guy who learned the art of crafting California Syrahs from the top hands in the business. From 2001 to 2006 he worked at Stolpman Vineyards under star winemaker Sashi Moorman, whose full-throttle yet beautifully chiseled powerhouses have piled up some of the biggest scores from Robert Parker and Stephen Tanzer on the West Coast. Moorman and Hunken hit it off, and in 2003 started a side-project together, Holus Bolus, to focus on small-production Syrah.

With ambitions of going head-to-head with the likes of David Ramey, Anne Colgin, and John Alban, they assembled a dream team, joining forces with Samsara’s Chad Melville, a recognized wizard with the grape, and Los Angeles Wine House owner Jim Knight. The octopus on the label symbolized their collective effort, and soon the wines were pulling down rave scores from Parker, who called the Holus Bolus efforts “brilliant” and “sexy.”

In 2008, Moorman and Hunken amiably parted ways and Hunken took over Holus Bolus with his wife Amy Christine, a merchant at Kermit Lynch and one of only a handful of female Masters of Wine in the United States. Under their stewardship, the cephalopod-emblazoned label has turned out savory, gorgeously supple Syrahs that have been nothing short of astonishing.

The 2013 release drawn entirely from John Sebastiano vineyard, perched at the far eastern edge of the windy, fog-shrouded Sta. Rita Hills appellation. Planted in 2007, this plot has yielded some of the most dazzling expressions of Syrah on the Central Coast. Outside of the world famous crus of northern Rhône, there are few places on Earth capable of coaxing these grapes into such powerful, elegant packages. Why? It’s all about the Pacific. Blowing directly across the vineyard’s steep slopes, the cooling ocean winds preserve the vibrancy and freshness of the small, tightly clustered berries of unbelievable dark-fruit intensity. A blend of three clones — the hearty Alban grape, the full-bodied 470, and the smoky 383 — the wine was fermented with 25% whole clusters and aged for 14 months in French oak aged two to three years.

Hunken’s 2013 Syran Sta. Rita Hills sourced entirely from John Sebastiano is an inky dark purple with sweet plums, chocolate, smoke, and dried meats. Lush on the attack loaded with blackberry preserves, braised figs, and a hint of smoked brisket with vivacity and sturdy, plush tannins into a persistent finish that goes on and on. Lay down for 5 to 6 years or drink now for its youthful energy and decadence.

We can’t make the math on this one any simpler. Wine Enthusiast’s #6 wine of 2016. 95 points. $32 on WineAccess for a few hours this morning. A no-brainer. Shipping included on 4.