2018 Faethm Fingers Crossed Syrah

Another killer wine, and one that tops out on my scale, the 2018 Syrah Off The Record checks in as 93% Syrah, 2% each of Grenache and Mourvèdre, and the rest 3% Roussanne that saw just 22% stems and spent 20 months in 68% new French oak. Dense purple-hued, with awesome notes of smoked black fruits, smoked game, ground pepper, beef blood, spice, and violets, this beauty is full-bodied and elegant, with a perfect mid-palate and a great, great finish. Only the second release from this winery, this incredible Syrah seemingly has one foot in California with its ripe, sexy fruit and one foot in the Northern Rhone with its gamy, meaty, peppery, and wildly complex style. While it doesn’t have the same weight as say Sine Qua Non, Alban, or Andremily, it’s flawlessly balanced, insanely complex, and has a style all its own. It will ideally be given 2-4 years of bottle age and will cruise for 10-15 years as well. Don’t miss it! While the name has been changed from Faethm to Fingers Crossed due to trademark issues, the quality of the wines here is still through the roof, and this estate is unquestionably one of the up and coming superstars of California. Run by Nicolas and Julia Krankl (Nicolas is the son of Sine Qua Non’s Manfred Krankl), Fingers Crossed produces rich, powerful wines that display a beautiful sense of freshness and elegance, incredible complexity, and, as I hope the reviews here show, world-class quality. But these are not Sine Qua Non copycats – they have their own style, slightly more Old World-styled and with notable stem influence, yet they still deliver serious amounts of classic California fruit. As with all great wines, they have singular characters. I was able to follow these bottles for multiple days, and they only improved, so give them plenty of air, or better yet, a handful of years in a cold cellar.

The 2018 Syrah reveals an inky purple color as well as classic notes of ripe, sexy dark fruits, cassis, white pepper, and bouquet garni. It’s another magical-looking barrel sample that offers full-bodied richness, polished tannins, and not a hard edge to be found. It has the purity and freshness of the vintage yet has enough tannins and concentration to warrant short-term cellaring. There’s nothing liking starting out with a bang, and that’s exactly what Nicolas and Julia Krankl have done with their inaugural release under the Faethm label. The son of Manfred Krankl at Sine Qua Non, Nicolas, along with his wife Julia, created Faethm in 2017, and their first release, which immediately sold out, went live in 2019. I can’t recall a new estate that has impressed me as much right out of the gate and these 2017 and 2018s are truly brilliant wines. And while Nicolas trained with his father at Sine Qua Non and has certainly followed in those footsteps, these are not carbon copy wines, and they have their own distinctive characters. The focus is on Rhône varieties and fruit sources include a who’s who list of great sites and include Cumulus Vineyard, White Hawk, The Third Twin, and Bien Nacido. Unfortunately, production is a tiny 250 cases, and I would assume it will grow slowly, so if you want some these wines, get on the mailing list ASAP.