Winemaker Christopher Keller has not only been the wine guru to some of the most illustrious names in the Los Angeles restaurant scene for years, he has created his winery, Emanuel Tres, with a credo of deriving old world balance and elegance from the distinctive California terroir. Chris’s grandfather laid the groundwork in a seemingly inauspicious career as a prohibition-era bootlegger for Chris to delve into winemaking over twenty years ago. From wine and culinary adventures in Spain, France and Italy, Chris embroidered age-old technique into his winemaking style that simultaneously captures the subtle balance and structure of the old world with the enchanting voice of California.

Plucked from the undulating hills of Santa Barbara’s Ballard Canyon in the picturesque Santa Ynez Valley, the Roberto Syrah is custom farmed from a special Hermitage clone to deliver only the most classic expression of this loved varietal. We all know that the world’s most classic examples of Syrah come from France’s Northern Rhône, but today’s wine is grown in a unique pocket that has similar characteristics to the microclimate of the lauded hill of Hermitage. Nestled in the treasured Santa Ynez Valley, Ballard Canyon is a north-south oriented canyon that enjoys wind, fog and maritime influence from its close proximity to the Pacific as well as warming influences from the eastern adjacent Happy Canyon. The unique microclimate was recently granted AVA (American Viticultural Area) status thanks to the talent and efforts of today’s accomplished vigneron, Michael Larner. Michael’s Larner Vineyard is home to sand over chalk bedrock soils that offer distinct minerality and incredibly concentrated, pristine Syrah thanks to the Hermitage clones and unique microclimate of Ballard Canyon. The 2012 vintage produced fruit of perfect balance with low yielding, concentrated fruit with ideal freshness of acidity for the ideal harmony and finesse. The wine was destemmed, fermented in open top containers and aged in neutral French oak, which allowed the varietal purity and terroir to translate with absolute clarity. This Syrah boasts the classic aromatics and flavor profile of its native France with the textural richness of its California soils— it is a wine you will regret passing up.

I would not be surprised if anyone called the 2012 Roberto Syrah a Northern Rhône in a blind tasting. The wine displays a vibrant dark ruby core with purple hues throughout. The nose pleases the senses with classic aromatics of wild purple flowers, dried blackberry, boysenberry and blueberry over secondary notes of dried meat, cured olives, pu-erh tea, cacao nibs and exotic spices in the nuanced background. Almost full-bodied, this Syrah envelops the palate with just a kiss of sweetness to the fruit, reminiscent of the nose with layers of concentrated black and blue fruits and flavors of wild herbs, fresh flowers, roasted meat and cured olives. This wine is peaking now and only needs a thirty-minute decant and service temperature is key. Ideally serve in Bordeaux, or even Burgundy stems, at 60-65 degrees with this French Navarin Lamb stew on a cold night with the best of friends.