2021 K Vintners Syrah Motor City Kitty Boushey Vineyard Yakima Valley 750 ml

Charles Smith’s Motor City Kitty Syrah is one of the must-have red wines of the West Coast, and the 2021 might be the greatest edition ever produced. 

The product of one of Washington’s greatest-ever seasons, it boasts a 99-point score from James Suckling, who recently named it #7 on his Top 100 Wines of the Year. He declared “the freshness and energy are astounding, and the finish just keeps going” in his breathless review. 

Read anything at all about Smith, the founder of K Vintners, and you quickly learn about his rock and roll side. The motorcycle-riding former manager of the Raveonettes has been described as “Washington's wild man,” “larger-than-life,” and “wild and irrepressible”—and that’s just by the Wine Advocate. 

But Smith brings that same intensity to every aspect of his winemaking, and this bottling always stands out as a highlight.

One of the coolest sites in the Yakima Valley, Boushey Vineyard is perfectly suited to creating the long hang-times that allow Syrah to reach perfect richness without sacrificing vibrancy. The loess topsoil allows for easy drainage, keeping berries small and vines stressed for low yields. The volcanic bedrock below reminds us of the great terroirs of the Northern Rhône, where granite dominates Hermitage and Côte-Rôtie.

Smith and his winemaker Brennon Leighton have “mastered combining power with energy and freshness,” according to Wine Advocate. That means 100% whole clusters during fermentation, native yeasts, and a long maceration on the skins for optimal extraction. To allow the wine to fully harmonize, it’s given a luxurious 21-month stay in 25% new French oak puncheons—a larger barrel size that allows for gentle oxidation and a more moderate impact of the oak flavors.