Rock Rabbit is a winery in California that makes two wines: Syrah and Sauvignon Blanc. That’s it.

In other words, they’re specialists, and winemaker Alex Cose has a finite focus. With the Syrah, his goal is to make a rich, jammy, New World style wine that tastes more like Australian Shiraz than old school Hermitage. He makes no secret of this plan, and in fact proclaims without shame his desire to copy the wineries “down under” on the Rock Rabbit website. Each year, he sources grapes from selected vineyards that are best suited toward this goal — so regardless of vintage, the wine will be consistent from year to year.

The first thing you notice about Rock Rabbit Syrah (a.k.a., Shiraz) is that it is wide open, rich, plummy, and jammy — both on nose and palate. The nose has deep, rich aromas of sweet ripe blackberry, mulberry, and plum, with hints of tar, eucalyptus, and earth. Color is still fairly opaque at the center, a dark jelly-like purple, and is bright magenta at the rim. However, in the mouth it is more mature, giving opulent rich ripe jammy blackberry and plum flavors, as well as a grape jam flavor. Some earth and spice also enter the picture. Acidity is low to medium, tannins are softer than expected but still in the medium to medium-high range, and aren’t overwhelming until the very end of the finish. Alcohol is high, as expected for something this ripe, but tempered by the fruit. Because of the over-the-top jamminess, it’s a little awkward for food, though it is OK with burgers and cheese. A good wine for those who enjoy forward, plummy, Australian Shiraz. In short, the winemaker has fulfilled his intentions.

a-8 t-7 b-6 fc-6 v-9 ~ 86 Points

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