Another off the charts effort is the 2015 Syrah Cattle King Upland Vineyard, which is also saturated purple/black in color. Possessing a more backward, yet insanely pure bouquet of crème de cassis, black fruits, smoked earth, graphite, and violets, it's beautifully concentrated, has no hard edges, thrilling purity, and a gorgeous, layered, awesome, multi-dimensional style. It needs short-term cellaring but is a monumental wine from Washington.

The 2015 Syrah Cattle King is deep and brooding, unfurling in the glass with notes of crème de cassis, plum preserve, incense and burning embers. On the palate, it's full-bodied, ample and layered, with a deep core of concentrated fruit that conceals a chassis of fine-grained but abundant tannins that only assert themselves on the finish. Though it's more powerful than The Beautiful, Cattle King isn't as complex, multifaceted or graceful, but it's a very persuasive Washington Syrah in its own right.

(from 25+-year-old vines on a volcanic outcropping): Bright, full medium ruby. Pungent aromas of cassis, blackberry, boysenberry, black olive, licorice and bitter chocolate. At once plush and dry, with purple berry and floral flavors accented by a note of orange peel. Offers captivating salinity and inner-mouth lift and finishes with a firm spine of building tannins. This wine is showing more personality than the 2014 version did at the same stage but seemed to go into a shell in the glass. (14.5% alcohol)

This is 100% whole cluster pressed, aged on skins for 43 days before being aged in half new and half neutral puncheons. Focused aromas of blackberry, black raspberry, clove pod, licorice, orange peel, smoked meat and herb lead to ripe, rich, lip-smacking fruit flavors that trail slightly on the finish. Its best days are in front of it.