Amor Fati Syrah Santa Maria Valley 2023
California · Santa Barbara County · Syrah (Shiraz) · red
About this wine
93-95 POINTS! This Nietzschean wonder of 100% single varietal, single vineyard, Santa Maria Valley Syrah is a BEAST of a discovery — especially when you can snag it at OVER 70% OFF and bring it home for less than TWENTY BUCKS! Welcome to the worlds, AMOR FATI! Y’all know I LOVE me some Latin, and this flagship bottling makes me want to break out the toga, recite some Aurelian meditations, and assemble the legions to drink all the good vino like we’re at Maximilian Circus! Hooo-RAH!!! This inky, boldly hedonistic Syrah will certainly be there…how about you?! Now, Amor Fati means “to love one’s fate” — basically, no matter what good, what evil, whatever the gods of fate hurl your way…be grateful for it. It forges you, educates you, and your responses to such challenges fashion who you truly are. I love that. And the fact this deeply savory, wildly aromatic, and plushly layered Syrah cuts you to the core…all the better! Murmur Vineyard sits close to the Pacific Ocean, in the Santa Maria Valley that lies roughly halfway between Paso Robles and Santa Barbara. For this wine, we’re looking at 100% Clone 887 Syrah, fermented mostly in concrete, then aged in large format oak vats and foudres. The floral freshness, the salty/volcanic minerality, the smoky herbs, and peppery meatiness are all brilliantly preserved, accentuating a core of luscious bramble berry fruits, deeply rich plums, and baked cherry tarts. I mean…YUMMM!!! The winery shut down in 2025 (it seems they stretched themselves a bit thin with their moated castle tasting room that also doubled as a music venue, wedding grounds, and locally-infamous Sunday brunch spot) but this wine is simply too good to not share with the worlds. That, beloved readers, is where we come in! Normally $69 at the winery — we CRUSHED a staggering deal to bring this into your hands at UNDER $20! Not a ton to go ‘round, but you’re gonna dig it — provided you get a move on and grab your six-pack NOW! 93-95 POINTS for UNDER $20?! Go for it!
Wine details
- Producer
- Amor
- Vintage
- 2023
- Region
- California
- Appellation
- Santa Barbara County
- Varietal
- Syrah (Shiraz)
- Blend
- 100% Syrah
- Color
- red
- Winemaker
- Jeremy Leffert
- Alcohol
- 14.5
- Last Bottle price
- $19
- Retail price (estimate)
- $69
- Wine-Searcher average
- $32
- CellarTracker score
- 89.5 (4 reviews)
- Critic score
- 95 — Jeb Dunnuck