Cabot, Humboldt Syrah, 2016

Cabot Vineyards is something genuinely unusual: the northernmost winery in California, perched in the remote mountains of Humboldt County. John and Kimberly Cabot spent a decade growing organic fruit and vegetables along the Klamath River before planting grapes in 1998, and they farm their estate vineyards organically. This cool, rugged, far-northern setting makes for a Syrah with more freshness and savory lift than the warm-climate California norm. The 2016 has a few years of bottle age now, which has softened it and brought out smoky, peppery, gamey complexity. It's a distinctive, small-production bottle from a corner of California most people have never tasted. Decant it and enjoy.