donelan Family Winery

California
Sirah
Donelan Family Wines is a small, boutique winery in Sonoma County producing Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Syrah, Grenache, and Roussanne. They have elected to prize quality over all other factors. Simply put, they think wine should taste great – with every vintage and every grape, this is their ultimate priority and greatest motivation.

Donelan Family Wines believes that the best wines are not made but discovered and take pride in the responsibility and privilege of distilling for your pleasure the greatest qualities and natural variations in a vineyard and a variety. They start with great terroir, because site trumps all variables, and then proceed with extreme selectivity, conscientious winemaking, and extensive blending trials.
2012 Syrah Cuvee Christine Sonoma County
“Syrahs have always been the benchmark wines from Donelan…  Deep purple in color with lots of roast beef, blackberry, bouquet garni, licorice and charcuterie spices, the wine is rich, beautifully pure, full-bodied and showing well already, which is of course a hallmark of 2012.”
Robert Parker Score: 93PTS
2013 Syrah Cuvee Keltie North Coast
“…Terrific aromatics of black olive tapenade, sweet blackberry and cassis, licorice, truffle and spice all jump from the glass of this full-bodied, tightly structured, spicy and very layered wine that builds incrementally and finishes with extravagant richness and rather big structure.”
Robert Parker Score: 97PTS
2013 Syrah Kobler Vineyard Green Valley
“The family of Syrahs at Donelan are all stunning, and several have a Côte-Rôtie-like personality… this wine displays sweet blackberry, black cherry, white peach and apricot notes that soar from the glass in the uplifted aromatics..”
Robert Parker Score: 94PTS
2013 Syrah Obsidian Vineyard Knights Valley
“The 2013 Syrah Obsidian Vineyard is truly magical... offered up a note with black fruits, crushed rocks, new saddle leather, licorice and white chocolate. Terrific fruit intensity, a full-bodied, sumptuous texture, and a long finish of close to 50 seconds make for a magnificent Syrah….”
Robert Parker Score: 99PTS
2012 Syrah Richards Vineyard
“One of Joe Donelan’s favorite vineyards…  has incredible density of fruit, mostly blackberry, blueberry and cassis, a brooding smell of subtle barbecue smoke and charcoal, full-bodied opulence, and a terrific finish with great density. This is a stunner and one of the superstars of a great lineup of wines.”
Robert Parker Score: 96PTS
2012 Syrah Walker Vine Hill
“The single-vineyard Syrah… has a deep ruby purple color, a big sweet kiss of roasted meats, herbs, pepper and spice, blackberry fruit that unfolds gracefully in a full-bodied but elegant, stylish nose, with a hint of pepper and spice box.”
Robert Parker Score: 90PTS