Cowhorn Vineyards

The streets of Mexico

Wine & Spirits Year's Best List

2015 Cowhorn Sentience Syrah, 93 Points, $55

Of three Cowhorn syrahs reviewed in this issue, this one feels the most complete. It leads with scents of bacon fat and sage, olive and five-spice, wafting out of the glass as if driven by a warm afternoon breeze. The smoky plum flavors are dark and savory, with notes that bring to mind desert sage and mesquite. Succulent, compact and energetic, this will age well.

2015 Cowhorn Syrah 53, 92 Points, $45

Fine-bonded and elegant, with scents of violets and blackberries, this wine turns savory with air, picking up notes of olive and mocha. it feels sleek and energetic, with fine black-pepper tannins that will take on barbecue.

Cowhorn 2018 Viognier, 92 Points, $35

A generous viognier, this augments its creamy cling-peach scent with biscuity lees notes. It’s concentrated and rich—one taster compared the flavors to Danish pastry—but it’s framed by plenty of phenolic grip. For crab noodles.

2016 Cowhorn Deuce, 91 Points, $55

Syrah does much of he work in this blend with 30 percent grenache, showing its scents of spearmint, lavendar, licorice and black plum. The wine tastes earthy and concentrated, with smoky tannins that call for lamb off the grill.

2018 Cowhorn Spiral 36, 91 Points, $28

This is creamy and restrained, with scents of white flowers, lemon pith and beeswax and apple flavors. Half viognier, the makeup marsanne and roussanne, it would benefit from some cellar time before serving with a yellow curry.

Reviewed by Patrick J. Comiskey