Sitting across from Sleight of Hand winemaker and partner, Trey Busch, we both relished in the moment. “I had never done a vertical going back like this” said Busch who was eager to sink his teeth into these highly complex wines from the Walla Walla Rocks District. One of the iconic wines of the Pacific Northwest, the Sleight of Hand ‘The Psychedelic’ Syrah is an incredible wine that I have loved for more than a decade now. The wine comes from the Stoney Vine Vineyard in the Rocks District, as this site is set on ancient cobblestones. Immediately, Trey and his team wanted to make a wine with minimal intervention from this stony site.
“We have never wanted to use a lot of new wood on the wines. There is no reason to mask the Rocks character and by not using a lot of new oak we can really see the nuances of the wines. Tasting this wine compared to the Funkadelic which is bigger, this wine is made more in a pretty style.” Grapes at this vineyard are picked “earlier and we are more comfortable at 23 Brix but not at 25 Brix which was my style back in the early 2000s.”
In terms of using stem inclusion Busch noted “I had been making Syrah but had never worked with the Rocks before. Rich Funk came to us in 2009 and asked if we would be interested in making Rocks District Syrah and I jumped at the chance. For me when I was thinking of the wines that people admired, it would be ‘What would Christophe [Baron] do?’ And knowing that he’s French, I just assumed he was using stems in his ferments. I’m also a huge fan of the wines from Allemand in Cornas, and those wines see a ton of whole cluster as well. So we experimented with that first vintage in 2009 and loved what we tasted. When we started making the Psychedelic in 2013, we had a few years of making rocks wines under our belts, and became more and more comfortable with additional stem inclusion. Today we’re around 60-70% whole cluster on the Psychedelic. It increases the structure and mouthfeel on these high pH wines, especially in warmer vintages like 2013-2015, and 2021.”
Tasting through the wines there were several clear highlights. First was the initial wine made from the 2013 vintage — a wine that had tremendous tension despite the heat of the vintage. The 2014 ‘The Psychedelic’ Syrah (OB, 95) is a fabulous effort that is very savory and complex. No reason to cellar this beauty. I was enamored by the bigger and more heady 2016 ‘The Psychedelic’ Syrah (OB, 96) which is highly complex stuff that is really peaking right now. Equally good was the world-class 2018 ‘The Psychedelic’ Syrah (OB, 96) which is a deep and concentrated bottling that will surely live on for another decade. Busch and I concluded our tasting with the stunning 2021 (OB, 96) which is beautifully youthful and vibrant — one with so much potential. This was truly a tasting to remember. Learn more about these incredible wines at https://www.sofhcellars.com/ and here are my reviews of the 2013-2021 Sleight of Hand ‘The Psychedelic’ Syrah.
2013 Sleight of Hand ‘The Psychedelic’ Syrah- The 2013 Sleight of Hand ‘The Psychedelic’ Syrah is a 250 case production wine that was 50% whole cluster fermented and saw only 10% new French oak for 11 months before bottling. The palate is very seamless and nicely structured despite the heat of the vintage. The finesse and Umami character really shines in this wine that offers bacon fat, green olives, and white pepper alongside pretty red and dark fruits. Drink 2024-2039- 95
2014 Sleight of Hand ‘The Psychedelic’ Syrah- Slightly more wine was made in the 2014 vintage (360 cases), as this was stored in 16% new French oak and also saw 50% whole cluster fermentation. Mandarin orange zest alongside green peppercorns, smoked pork shoulder and shades of black rose petals all mark the nose. The palate is deep, voluptuous and very concentrated, with a seamless sense of mouthfeel and texture. This is really in its sweet spot. Drink 2024-2032- 96
2015 Sleight of Hand ‘The Psychedelic’ Syrah- Coming from this record hot vintage, the 2015 Sleight of Hand ‘The Psychedelic’ Syrah is already nicely evolved now at the nine year mark. Hoisin sauce and savory notes mark the nose alongside smoldering stones. The wine is still very fresh. This lacks some of the complexity of the first two wines but is drinking very well now. Drink 2024-2029- 93
2016 Sleight of Hand ‘The Psychedelic’ Syrah- The heady and rich 2016 Sleight of Hand ‘The Psychedelic’ Syrah is a head-turning Syrah that was stored in 25% new French oak before bottling. The nose is absolutely outstanding with beautiful Umami character alongside white pepper dusted bacon, bulls blood, Nori, green peppercorns and suggestions of wild blackberry. The palate is very fresh and refined with a seamless texture, showing glorious length. Rich and viscous with loads of mouth-watering acidity, this is right in its sweet spot. Drink 2024-2032- 96
2017 Sleight of Hand ‘The Psychedelic’ Syrah- Only 70 cases were made of this gorgeous 2017 Syrah that saw 50% whole cluster fermentation. Oyster sauce, and black truffle shavings mark the nose alongside boysenberry notes and black peppercorns. The palate is soft and refined with bright acidity and loads of exotic spice with enoki mushroom notes. A touch leaner and more linear than the 2016, don’t be afraid to pop the cork on this beauty. Drink 2024-2029- 94
2018 Sleight of Hand ‘The Psychedelic’ Syrah- From this downright epic vintage, the 2018 2016 Sleight of Hand ‘The Psychedelic’ Syrah. 600 cases made of this beautiful wine stored in 23% new French oak prior to bottling. Umami, beef drippings, roasted figs, and smoked brisket notes mark the nose alongside a light dusting of white pepper. The palate is loaded with savory notes, alongside sweet pipe tobacco, boysenberry, black tea and a seamless texture. Showing a fantastic combination of bright acidity, weight and length, this is a total heavyhitter of a wine that is marvelous to enjoy now. Drink 2024-2032- 96
2019 Sleight of Hand ‘The Psychedelic’ Syrah- The cold vintage 2019 Sleight of Hand ‘The Psychedelic’ Syrah is a gorgeous effort that is showing marvelously now at the five year mark. The wine was picked over an entire month. Stored in 33% new French oak, once on the nose this takes on pink peppercorns and red florals combine with red currants and shades of soy sauce. The palate is soft and approachable with beautiful poise, showing great non-fruit character with charcuterie, peppered bacon and green olive tapenade. This is showing marvelous now. Drink 2024-2030- 95
2020 Sleight of Hand ‘The Psychedelic’ Syrah- The 2020 ‘The Psychedelic’ Syrah is a really great wine from a tough vintage. 500 cases were made of this stony and savory wine that was 15% new French oak before bottling. Smoky and savory with a smooth mouthfeel, this is drinking marvelously right now. Black olive notes with creosote, black licorice and peppered bacon all fill the mouth with enjoyment. Drink 2024-2028- 93
2021 Sleight of Hand ‘The Psychedelic’ Syrah- A follow up to the really good 2020 edition, the 2021 Sleight of Hand ‘The Psychedelic’ Syrah was sourced from the famed Stoney Vine Vineyard in the Walla Walla Rocks District. For my palate this is up there with the 2018 as the finest edition ever made of this wine. Soft, sultry and seamless on the mouth, this greets you with a literal cornucopia of flavors, while maintaining bright underlying finesse. Black olive tapenade, wet gravel, mortadella, black raspberry, black truffle shavings and bulls blood flavors all marvelously combine with blood orange zest accents. This is simply a marvelous, warm vintage wine that is already expressing itself in all its splendor. Drink 2024-2032- 96
2021 Sleight of Hand ‘The Illusionist Reserve’ Cabernet Sauvignon- The 2021 ‘The Illusionist’ is a refined blend of 90% Cabernet Sauvignon with the remainder Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot that was sourced from estate blocks at the Blue Mountain, Red Mountain, and Phinny Hill Vineyards. Stored for 20 months in 60% new French oak, this delivers pure drinking pleasure with its core of cassis and black cherry fruit flavors alongside mocha, tar, pipe tobacco and black licorice flavors. Refined and elegant with its sleek mouthfeel, and great sense of length, enjoy now and over the next fifteen years to come. Drink 2024-2038- 94
2021 Sleight of Hand ‘The Archimage Reserve’ Red Wine- The Right Bank-inspired 2021 Sleight of Hand ‘The Archimage Reserve’ Red Wine is a silky blend of 54% Cabernet Franc with the reminder Merlot mostly sourced from the Biurnal Block at the Blue Mountain Vineyard. This is very seamless once on the mouth, with a great sense of texture, weight and bright underlying acidity. Salty accents combine with pure red fruits, menthol, and red bell pepper flavors on the palate. Dense and heady in its youth, give this an hour in the decanter if savoring now. Drink 2024-2040- 94