Charles Smith K Vintners The Cattle King 2015

The 2015 Syrah Cattle King is deep and brooding, unfurling in the glass with notes of crème de cassis, plum preserve, incense and burning embers. On the palate, it's full-bodied, ample and layered, with a deep core of concentrated fruit that conceals a chassis of fine-grained but abundant tannins that only assert themselves on the finish. Though it's more powerful than The Beautiful, Cattle King isn't as complex, multifaceted or graceful, but it's a very persuasive Washington Syrah in its own right.

Consistently one of the winery’s top bottlings, aromas of blackberry, black plum, dried herb, anise and spice are followed by supremely rich, tightly wound black fruit and crème de cassis flavors that show a firm grainy handshake of tannins and a warm crazy-long finish. It’s all about intensity of expression but what intensity it brings.

A southern slope site called Upland Vineyard. This has a dark-plum and dark-chocolate edge with a deeply spicy edge. Follows through to a palate that has fruit flesh dialed-in. Bold and powerful on the palate, it delivers a slab of blackberry and plum fruit but still snaps fresh. Try from 2021.