2018 County Line Syrah Sonoma Coast 750 ml

California Syrah is having a bit of a moment—and we couldn't be happier! Especially when it means indulging in trend-defining wines like the County Line Sonoma Coast Syrah, a dazzling cool-climate gem that shines among the finest Syrahs in America. 

County Line comes from the team behind the multiple 95-point Syrahs of Radio-Coteau. Led by rockstar winemaker Eric Sussman, they bring every ounce of their blue-chip talent to bear on this silky smooth, wildly complex wine from the foggy coastal hillsides of western Sonoma County.   

This is also an incredibly rare offer—a Wine Access Wine Club exclusive on one of California's most compelling full-bodied reds. Its taut layers of bright blue fruit, cracked black pepper, and freshly turned earth showcase Syrah's most essential qualities. Totally hypnotizing. 

Over the past few years we've been thrilled to get to know Eric as both of his labels continue to grow and evolve. While County Line makes tons of scrumptious rosé and Pinot Noir, they made fewer than 200 cases of the delectable 2018 Syrah. It's the sort of wine that almost never makes it beyond the winery's mailing list. But because Eric knows how much we love this wine, and because like us he's committed to Syrah evangelism, spreading the good news far and wide, he agreed to let us have access.

It's the microclimates of Sonoma Coast that make this wine so good. Syrah thrives on contradictions: a delicate dance between warmth and coolness. The folded lands west of Sebastopol, generally chilled by the wind and fog that drift in from the Pacific, offer up well-sunned slopes that rise like warm islands from a cool sea. This landscape suits the variety perfectly, allowing for longer hang times deeper into the season while maintaining modest sugar levels. In other words, the grapes develop deep sun-kissed flavors without getting too ripe.

"It's a zone between Pinot and Cabernet," Eric told us. "It doesn't have all the tannins and weight of a Cabernet, but it also has a little more density than the Pinot."

Drawing from the Sonoma Coast's world-class exposures—and from Eric's love of the great Old World Syrahs of Saint Joseph, Côte-Rôtie, and Hermitage—the County Line team crafts a wine that sends us reeling every time we crack a bottle. 

Tinged with purple hues in the glass, the wine draws you in with dusty granite and wildflower aromas with an ample smack of black pepper. That spice deepens on the umami-rich palate. While vibrant plum and fig and wild-berry fruit jump out in the approach, earthier flavors like mushrooms and cured black olives draw down along a laser-like acidity. Plush, joyful tannins take over through the finish, giving us something to chew on while we restrain ourselves from glugging down the next sip. 

We had it recently over roasted lamb chops that we drizzled with a basil and mint chimichurri and a side of creamy rosemary potatoes. An absolute home run of a pairing!

County Line is unabashedly a New World wine, marked by an unmistakable peck of sweet California sunshine. But it also embraces Syrah's deeper history, looking back at the Mediterranean, winking toward France. 

That style is underscored by the native yeast fermentation, bringing forward the fruit's natural beauty, and large neutral oak-barrel aging that allows for some micro-oxygenation and maturation without imparting a lot of woody tannins. It's all part of Eric's vision for County Line, what he calls "wines for the present." For under $50, present or future, we don't think it gets any better.