2022 Darling Syrah, Saint Marks Vineyard, Russian River Valley
94 Points, Jeb Dunnuck
Tasting Notes
“From vines near Joseph Swan on a 5-acre terraced vineyard consisting of 100% dry-farmed Goldridge sandy loam soils, the 2022 Syrah Saint Marks Vineyard saw 15 months in all neutral barrels. It has a great deal of complexity on the nose and is 100% whole cluster, with notes of incense, pancetta, toasted earth, licorices, and fresh plums. Mouthwatering and structured, it’s medium to full-bodied, and while it fills the palate, it’s light on its feet, with bright acidity that stays refined. it offers wonderful length and is going to improve if given a chance to rest in the cellar for another year or more. Drink 2025-2037.” Jeb Dunnuck
Vineyard:
Organically and regeneratively (uncertified) farmed by hand
No-spray vineyard, dry-farmed
Goldridge Sandy Loam soils
150 feet above sea level
Winemaking:
Hand-sorted directly into fermenter 100% whole cluster
Native primary fermentation, natural malolactic conversion
Aged 15 months in neutral French Oak
Bottled unfined and unfiltered
Hand-farmed by:
Mark Weston
Ginny Weston
Specs
Alcohol: 12.5%
Seven barrels produced
Total Production: 180 cases
What’s Included
3-bottles:
3x 2022 Darling Syrah, Saint Marks Vineyard, Russian River Valley Case:
12x 2022 Darling Syrah, Saint Marks Vineyard, Russian River Valley
Handcrafted, extraordinary, minimal-intervention wines for those who seek the best for themselves and their communities.
Darling Wines began in 2017 with two barrels of Syrah. Up to this point, Tom had worked just one harvest and was beginning his second when he and Ashley came across a listing of certified organic, cool-climate Syrah in the Petaluma Gap. After visiting the site, they decided to take a chance and figured at the very least they would have some decent home wine to send to family and friends for the holidays. This first wine, the 2017 McEvoy Ranch Syrah, sold out in mere months and ended up on the One-Star Michelin restaurant, Bouchon Bistro, in the Napa Valley, owned by the famed Thomas Keller. The two were thrilled, to say the least, and dove head-first into this new endeavor.
Today, Darling Wines produces Pinot Noir, Syrah, and Chardonnay sourced from coastal vineyards in western Sonoma County, Marin County, Anderson Valley, and Mendocino Ridge. The goal is to produce wines with character and energy that showcase purity and site through transparent winemaking. With this goal in mind, there is minimal handling from grape to bottle, restrained use of sulphur; in most cases, no synthetic additives or perfecting agents, fining or filtration, in an attempt to produce the most honest wine possible.
Available States
AZ, CA, CO, CT, DC, FL, GA, ID, IL, IN, IA, KS, KY, LA, ME, MD, MA, MI, MN, MO, MT, NE, NV, NH, NJ, NM, NY, NC, ND, OH, OK, OR, PA, RI, SC, SD, TN, TX, VT, VA, WA, WV, WI, WY
I received the coveted “You have been chosen” email Tuesday from Terry M. Amazingly, the overnight UPS delivery actually worked this time! Unfortunately, this wine had been riding around the fair City of Buffalo from 9:20 am until almost 7:00 pm! And, the bottle was quite warm to the touch when it arrived. Temps were in the uppers 70s all day! The wine FINALLY cooled down of its own accord by this morning!
The bottle that we received was the 2022 Darling Saint Marks Vineyard Russian River Valley Syrah, 12.5% alc with only seven barrels produced. ddeuddeg and I were really excited to get a chance to Lab Rat this bottle because we had just had a 2022 Darling North Coast Syrah the night before—the one that El Jefe raved about! Plus, we love wines from the Russian River Valley! Friends, these are two very different wines. “Place” does make a huge difference! But, I’m not sure that’s all that was different.
I’m afraid that the 2022 Saint Marks Vineyard Syrah bottle that we just received, not even 24-hours before dinnertime tonight, wasn’t anywhere near as good as the North Coast that had been sitting in our cellar for several months. Our Lab Rat bottle may have suffered from bottle shock, and also, it may have gotten cooked. It’s hard to tell. I wish we had another bottle to try that had sufficient time to settle in order for us to taste and write our reviews. Wine David wants us, as Lab Rats, to be honest in our findings and acknowledges that these are the most difficult reviews to write. Of course, YMMV with this wine. I look forward to reading the report(s) by the other Lab Rat(s). When either ddeuddeg or I get a bottle, we both independently write up our own reports.
ddeuddeg opened the bottle while I continued making the dressing for our sweet pepper and tomato salad, just a little side salad. Tis the season! I tasted a few red pepper strips, had some water, and then, got my glass in the dining room. I gave my wine a swirl and sniff. But, I didn’t get much on the nose. My first taste seemed to be sour. Was it because the sweet pepper left an aftertaste in my mouth? I’m not sure. The second taste helped to get rid of some of the sour but not all of it. I decided that the wine needed more time to open, so I poured more in my glass while we finished dinner prep.
We decided to have our stovetop pork roast cooked with bay leaves and peppercorns, mashed potatoes, and carrots. The wine opened up a bit and smoothed out, and no longer tasted sour, but I couldn’t pin down any specific flavor components. This is not a very complex wine. It seemed to “work” with the main components of the meal, but I still wasn’t convinced that this wasn’t a flawed bottle. The wine did not hold up past the end of dinner when I gave it another taste.
Again, I am hoping that this was a flawed bottle because we were quite impressed with the other bottle of Syrah from a different AVA that we had from this same winery. We are always glad to have the opportunity to be Lab Rats, even though, sometimes we struggle with what to write and how to write it. We respect and appreciate the toil, effort, and love that is put into making these wines.
Once again, bahwm was the recipient of a labrat bottle, the Darling 2022 Saint Marks Vineyard Syrah, and I got to share it. Unfortunately, the wine wandered around Buffalo for 10 hours or so in a dark brown truck, and even inside the styrofoam insert, it was quite warm when it finally arrived at our house, just before 7:00 PM on Wednesday. Fortunately, it had 24 hours to cool down before we popped the cork. Actually, I wound up wishing I had cooled it down a bit more before tasting it, but we managed with cool room temperature.
I had decided that our favorite pork roast dinner would work well with the Syrah as an accompaniment, and as it turned out, it was a good choice. With dinner a bit more than a half hour away, I pulled the cork and poured a sip. I didn’t get much on the nose; maybe it would have been better to have opened it sooner, but the first taste was pleasant enough after a good swirl in the glass. The strange thing was the flavor profile: strawberries, red raspberries, a bit of leather. Not unpleasant, just not what I expected in a Syrah. We got dinner on the table and poured some more wine, but even after some serious swirling in the glass, it didn’t seem to be opening more. Nevertheless, it was a suitable accompaniment for the (stove-top) roast pork, mashed potatoes, and carrots.
I wish I could be more enthusiastic, but although this was a decent dinner wine, it just didn’t thrill me. Frankly, I liked the Darling 2022 North Coast Syrah (offered here last April at $14.17/bottle in the case price) quite a bit better. I can’t help thinking that this bottle, as warm as it was when it arrived, may have suffered some significant damage. Too bad there’s no way to turn back the clock. And I’d love an opportunity to try another bottle, especially knowing the quality of wine this winery is capable of producing. I hope there are other labrats out there who had a better experience.
How much more are you saving by buying a full case?
(Note: tax and shipping are not included in savings calculations.)
2022 Darling Family Wines Syrah - $95 = 27.94%
@canonizer I don’t think so. We’ve tasted barrel samples at a number of different wineries and loved them! I’ve purchased futures based on the barrel samples tasted. There was a moment where I tasted something nice. The flavors seemed to come together into a nice wine. I think this wine has possibilities. And, some more bottle age might be helpful. We did JUST open a bottle of the same vintage from a different vineyard, made by the same winemaker, and loved it! THAT bottle was perfectly fine to drink!
I bought the April offer after rave reviews from the rats here and was honestly quite disappointed. The wine was not flawed per-se but the tasting notes were overwhelmingly balsamic vinegar. If it did not say syrah on the bottle, I’d never know it was syrah and it never really came together.
@user48745965 How many bottles did you get from that offer? Try another bottle now that it’s been sitting for close to five months. Bottle variation is real. We bought a case of the other because we trusted the reviews of the Rats!
@bahwm We got 12 and have probably drank ~8 of them. They are quite consistent. I will say the most recent one we drank (last night actually!) was the best of the bunch so perhaps the extra few months of bottle age is worth something.
Bought the last offer from this producer based on El Jefe’s rattage. It was bad. Not sure what he was tasting. He never mentioned banyard funk and it’s there. Overpowering to say the least. It’s just not a good bottling (I’ve had three bottles with consistent notes). I almost feel like el jefe knows the owner or winemaker and was helping out. I’m out
@losthighwayz I have been enjoying the last offer from Darling. Unique and funky in a good way IMO. Not a traditional style wine at all and that makes me appreciate it. I hope more producers start making low ABV wine.
2022 Darling Syrah, Saint Marks Vineyard, Russian River Valley
94 Points, Jeb Dunnuck
Tasting Notes
Vineyard:
Winemaking:
Hand-farmed by:
Specs
What’s Included
3-bottles:
Case:
Price Comparison
$816.00/Case for 12x 2022 Darling Syrah, Saint Marks Vineyard, Russian River Valley at Darling Wines
About The Winery
Available States
AZ, CA, CO, CT, DC, FL, GA, ID, IL, IN, IA, KS, KY, LA, ME, MD, MA, MI, MN, MO, MT, NE, NV, NH, NJ, NM, NY, NC, ND, OH, OK, OR, PA, RI, SC, SD, TN, TX, VT, VA, WA, WV, WI, WY
Estimated Delivery
Monday, Oct 6 - Tuesday, Oct 7
2022 Darling Family Wines Syrah
3 bottles for $84.99 $28.33/bottle + $2.67/bottle shipping
Case of 12 for $244.99 $20.42/bottle + $1/bottle shipping
A 12.5 Syrah?!
@rjquillin Why not? The Darling Syrah in April was 11.7.
@ddeuddeg Not complaining, but these are just so rare, and I see you have first hand experience with them
@ddeuddeg @rjquillin That 11.7 was sublime
I received the coveted “You have been chosen” email Tuesday from Terry M. Amazingly, the overnight UPS delivery actually worked this time! Unfortunately, this wine had been riding around the fair City of Buffalo from 9:20 am until almost 7:00 pm! And, the bottle was quite warm to the touch when it arrived. Temps were in the uppers 70s all day! The wine FINALLY cooled down of its own accord by this morning!
The bottle that we received was the 2022 Darling Saint Marks Vineyard Russian River Valley Syrah, 12.5% alc with only seven barrels produced. ddeuddeg and I were really excited to get a chance to Lab Rat this bottle because we had just had a 2022 Darling North Coast Syrah the night before—the one that El Jefe raved about! Plus, we love wines from the Russian River Valley! Friends, these are two very different wines. “Place” does make a huge difference! But, I’m not sure that’s all that was different.
I’m afraid that the 2022 Saint Marks Vineyard Syrah bottle that we just received, not even 24-hours before dinnertime tonight, wasn’t anywhere near as good as the North Coast that had been sitting in our cellar for several months. Our Lab Rat bottle may have suffered from bottle shock, and also, it may have gotten cooked. It’s hard to tell. I wish we had another bottle to try that had sufficient time to settle in order for us to taste and write our reviews. Wine David wants us, as Lab Rats, to be honest in our findings and acknowledges that these are the most difficult reviews to write. Of course, YMMV with this wine. I look forward to reading the report(s) by the other Lab Rat(s). When either ddeuddeg or I get a bottle, we both independently write up our own reports.
ddeuddeg opened the bottle while I continued making the dressing for our sweet pepper and tomato salad, just a little side salad. Tis the season! I tasted a few red pepper strips, had some water, and then, got my glass in the dining room. I gave my wine a swirl and sniff. But, I didn’t get much on the nose. My first taste seemed to be sour. Was it because the sweet pepper left an aftertaste in my mouth? I’m not sure. The second taste helped to get rid of some of the sour but not all of it. I decided that the wine needed more time to open, so I poured more in my glass while we finished dinner prep.
We decided to have our stovetop pork roast cooked with bay leaves and peppercorns, mashed potatoes, and carrots. The wine opened up a bit and smoothed out, and no longer tasted sour, but I couldn’t pin down any specific flavor components. This is not a very complex wine. It seemed to “work” with the main components of the meal, but I still wasn’t convinced that this wasn’t a flawed bottle. The wine did not hold up past the end of dinner when I gave it another taste.
Again, I am hoping that this was a flawed bottle because we were quite impressed with the other bottle of Syrah from a different AVA that we had from this same winery. We are always glad to have the opportunity to be Lab Rats, even though, sometimes we struggle with what to write and how to write it. We respect and appreciate the toil, effort, and love that is put into making these wines.
Once again, bahwm was the recipient of a labrat bottle, the Darling 2022 Saint Marks Vineyard Syrah, and I got to share it. Unfortunately, the wine wandered around Buffalo for 10 hours or so in a dark brown truck, and even inside the styrofoam insert, it was quite warm when it finally arrived at our house, just before 7:00 PM on Wednesday. Fortunately, it had 24 hours to cool down before we popped the cork. Actually, I wound up wishing I had cooled it down a bit more before tasting it, but we managed with cool room temperature.
I had decided that our favorite pork roast dinner would work well with the Syrah as an accompaniment, and as it turned out, it was a good choice. With dinner a bit more than a half hour away, I pulled the cork and poured a sip. I didn’t get much on the nose; maybe it would have been better to have opened it sooner, but the first taste was pleasant enough after a good swirl in the glass. The strange thing was the flavor profile: strawberries, red raspberries, a bit of leather. Not unpleasant, just not what I expected in a Syrah. We got dinner on the table and poured some more wine, but even after some serious swirling in the glass, it didn’t seem to be opening more. Nevertheless, it was a suitable accompaniment for the (stove-top) roast pork, mashed potatoes, and carrots.
I wish I could be more enthusiastic, but although this was a decent dinner wine, it just didn’t thrill me. Frankly, I liked the Darling 2022 North Coast Syrah (offered here last April at $14.17/bottle in the case price) quite a bit better. I can’t help thinking that this bottle, as warm as it was when it arrived, may have suffered some significant damage. Too bad there’s no way to turn back the clock. And I’d love an opportunity to try another bottle, especially knowing the quality of wine this winery is capable of producing. I hope there are other labrats out there who had a better experience.
Summer hold has an earlier estimated arrival.
How much more are you saving by buying a full case?
(Note: tax and shipping are not included in savings calculations.)
2022 Darling Family Wines Syrah - $95 = 27.94%
Maybe just on the young side?
@canonizer I don’t think so. We’ve tasted barrel samples at a number of different wineries and loved them! I’ve purchased futures based on the barrel samples tasted. There was a moment where I tasted something nice. The flavors seemed to come together into a nice wine. I think this wine has possibilities. And, some more bottle age might be helpful. We did JUST open a bottle of the same vintage from a different vineyard, made by the same winemaker, and loved it! THAT bottle was perfectly fine to drink!
I bought the April offer after rave reviews from the rats here and was honestly quite disappointed. The wine was not flawed per-se but the tasting notes were overwhelmingly balsamic vinegar. If it did not say syrah on the bottle, I’d never know it was syrah and it never really came together.
@user48745965 How many bottles did you get from that offer? Try another bottle now that it’s been sitting for close to five months. Bottle variation is real. We bought a case of the other because we trusted the reviews of the Rats!
@bahwm We got 12 and have probably drank ~8 of them. They are quite consistent. I will say the most recent one we drank (last night actually!) was the best of the bunch so perhaps the extra few months of bottle age is worth something.
@user48745965 Maybe. We’ve only opened one from that case. I’d love to have the winemaker chime in, but it IS harvest time!
@bahwm @user48745965 Actually, we’ve opened a few of those. My comment in Delectable 11 weeks ago: A very fine example of a well-made Syrah. 9.5
@user48745965 We love that 11.7 from April. It’s fantastic. Even gave a bottle to my friend who sold wine for decades and she loved it.
Sales today 5? Cases remaining ~175
Bought the last offer from this producer based on El Jefe’s rattage. It was bad. Not sure what he was tasting. He never mentioned banyard funk and it’s there. Overpowering to say the least. It’s just not a good bottling (I’ve had three bottles with consistent notes). I almost feel like el jefe knows the owner or winemaker and was helping out. I’m out
@losthighwayz I have been enjoying the last offer from Darling. Unique and funky in a good way IMO. Not a traditional style wine at all and that makes me appreciate it. I hope more producers start making low ABV wine.
@andrewbrion agree to disagree but you cannot ignore El Jefe’s review. Did NOT match the product.
@andrewbrion I’ll sell you my remaining six bottles. FS too! You in?
@losthighwayz come to think of it Brett must be the flaw
@andrewbrion @losthighwayz Where ya at
@andrewbrion @GatorFL beautiful California!
@GatorFL @losthighwayz Minnesota sitting on my couch.
@andrewbrion @GatorFL haha same