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Reviews

95 -Wine Enthusiast -

94 -Vinous -

Technical Details

  • Blend 100% Syrah
  • Winemaker Peter Hunken & Amy Christine
  • Country US
  • Region California
  • Sub Region Central Coast
  • Appellation Central Coast
  • Oak 2-3 year old French Oak
  • Aging / Cooperage 14 months
  • Alcohol 13%
  • Production 150 cases

The Joy Fantastic Syrah Sta. Rita Hills 2021

Syrah | California

WE95, VN94

19.96 on 12+ bottles!

$55.00

$24.95

54% OFF RETAIL!

For anyone who loves savory, peppery, cool-climate Syrah with real nerve to it, today's a great day! This 95-point 2021 from The Joy Fantastic comes off one of the westernmost, windiest, coolest sites in the Sta. Rita Hills.

The Joy Fantastic is the estate label of Black Sheep Finds, the tiny, family-run project that Peter Hunken and Amy Christine have been building out of Lompoc since 2003. Peter cut his teeth back in 2001 at Stolpman Vineyards, and Amy passed the brutal Master of Wine exam in 2013, joining a very short list of women in the U.S. to earn those two letters. In 2014 they finally got their own dirt – a former hillside cow pasture on the far western edge of the Sta. Rita Hills – planted it to organic vines (CCOF certified), and pulled their first estate crop in 2016. The name itself is a wink at Prince's 1999 album Rave Un2 the Joy Fantastic.

What makes this vineyard sing is where it sits. It's one of the farthest-west, coolest, windiest spots in the whole appellation, which means relentless Pacific air, a long slow ripening season, and natural acidity for days. In the cellar they keep a light touch on purpose – fewer punch-downs, gentle pump-overs, a CO2 blanket over the fermentation – all to chase finesse over brute force. The wine is unfined and vegan, clocking in around a very reasonable 13% ABV. This is the elegant, Northern Rhône end of California Syrah, not the jammy fruit-bomb end.

It starts with raspberry and pomegranate, but the tart, just-picked kind, more snap than sugar – with a lift of red and purple flowers floating over the top. Then it turns and shows its other face… a crack of pepper, a savory swipe of sage, and firm tannins that pull the whole thing taut and hold their grip clean through the finish. Wine Enthusiast scored it 95 points, and it’s so clear why when you have a taste.

PAIRING IDEAS: I’m firing up this intensely good harissa chicken and veggies recipe with lemon aioli – the spice and creaminess is made for this snappy Syrah.

About The Producer

The Joy Fantastic is the estate vineyard project of husband-and-wife team Peter Hunken and Amy Christine — and between the two of them, they bring a formidable set of credentials to five very small acres on the western edge of Sta. Rita Hills. Peter got his start at Stolpman Vineyards in 2001 and co-founded Holus Bolus and Piedrasassi before channeling his full focus into this project; Amy earned her Master of Wine designation in 2013, making her one of only a few hundred people in the world to hold the title. They began developing The Joy Fantastic vineyard in 2014, planting it to Syrah, Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, and Gamay on steep, organically farmed clay-loam and diatomaceous earth — the fossilized remains of ancient algae that give the site its distinctive mineral tension. The proximity to the Pacific means cool, foggy mornings and warm afternoons, and the dense planting forces the vines to compete, producing naturally low yields and concentrated, expressive fruit. The first estate harvest came in 2016, and the wines have been turning heads ever since.