Current Release
2020 Syrah, MJM 750ML
MJM is our flagship, Syrah-based blend, named in honor of our wives Michelle, Jen and Mitchi. We farm Syrah from several precise blocks in both Ballard Canyon and Sta. Rita Hills, and we select only the finest, most dramatic, barrels for this blend, to which we add small amounts of Grenache. The resulting wine is given additional aging until we feel it is ready for bottling. Depending upon vintage, élevage lasts anywhere from 24 to 34 months.
This wine is a product of the miracle 2020 vintage. A generally cool year was upended by a series of punishing heatwaves in August-October and devastating fires elsewhere in the State. We fortunately avoided smoke effects here, and thus we call it a miracle vintage. Although we saw some dehydration and yield reduction, we also found underlying acidities were still excellent from the cool (prior to August) year. The freshness played well with the exuberant fruit of 2020.
The 2020 MJM was crafted from wines from Stolpman (60%), Kimsey (25%) & Larner (10%). John Sebastiano was affected by a localized fire in July, and we were not able to use the fruit. Clones included 3, 470, 383, Estrella, 174, Alban and a massal selection from Kimsey. This dramatically intense wine was aged for a total of 27 months in the finest French oak cooperage (Sylvain, Ermitage & Seguin Moreau) of which 60% was new.
The 2020 MJM is deeply concentrated, well structured, and bold, with exuberant black, purple and blue fruits, framed by super high-quality oak, baking spices and iron, lifted by stony minerals. The wine all Ballard Canyon in 2020, and thus shows the broad shoulders, the power and tannic spine of that AVA. It will slowly unfold over the next 10 years and keep another 15 after that. Though powerful, it is already drinkable as the fleshy fruit notes coat the mouth and buffer the strong tannins.
The 2020 MJM was 97+ Points Jeb Dunnuck, who called it “stunning,” “full-bodied” and “flawlessly balanced.” Antonio Galloni of Vinous rated it 95 Points.
This wine is a product of the miracle 2020 vintage. A generally cool year was upended by a series of punishing heatwaves in August-October and devastating fires elsewhere in the State. We fortunately avoided smoke effects here, and thus we call it a miracle vintage. Although we saw some dehydration and yield reduction, we also found underlying acidities were still excellent from the cool (prior to August) year. The freshness played well with the exuberant fruit of 2020.
The 2020 MJM was crafted from wines from Stolpman (60%), Kimsey (25%) & Larner (10%). John Sebastiano was affected by a localized fire in July, and we were not able to use the fruit. Clones included 3, 470, 383, Estrella, 174, Alban and a massal selection from Kimsey. This dramatically intense wine was aged for a total of 27 months in the finest French oak cooperage (Sylvain, Ermitage & Seguin Moreau) of which 60% was new.
The 2020 MJM is deeply concentrated, well structured, and bold, with exuberant black, purple and blue fruits, framed by super high-quality oak, baking spices and iron, lifted by stony minerals. The wine all Ballard Canyon in 2020, and thus shows the broad shoulders, the power and tannic spine of that AVA. It will slowly unfold over the next 10 years and keep another 15 after that. Though powerful, it is already drinkable as the fleshy fruit notes coat the mouth and buffer the strong tannins.
The 2020 MJM was 97+ Points Jeb Dunnuck, who called it “stunning,” “full-bodied” and “flawlessly balanced.” Antonio Galloni of Vinous rated it 95 Points.
Wine Profile
| Vintage | 2020 |
|---|---|
| Wine Style | Red Wine |
| Varietal | Syrah |
| Size | 750 ml |