98pt Rank #31 Top 100 Rockstar Royalty K Vintners Library
Charles Smith is the wild-haired, motorcycle-riding former rock-band manager who walked into Walla Walla in 2001 and proceeded to remake the conversation around American Syrah. Wine Enthusiast Winemaker of the Year. Food & Wine Winemaker of the Year. Multiple 100-point reviews. His K Vintners single-vineyard Syrahs are routinely compared to Cornas and Côte-Rôtie by the critics who taste them blind. The five bottles below have been resting in our cellar between 6 and 9 years — aged, ready, and priced at their original release. The market never figured out how good the back catalog is. You can.
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The Winemaker Eleven Years Managing Danish Rock Bands.
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The Library Vintage Opportunity Aged 6–9 Years in Cool Storage.
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★ The Headline · James Suckling Top 100 of 2023, #31 in the World K Vintners "M.C.K."
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| Order MCK Motor City Kitty — $44.99 → |
Why This Wine Matters
A 98-Point Syrah, #31 in the World,
From the Highest-Elevation Plot at Boushey.
In March 2023, James Suckling tasted the entire 2020 Washington vintage and awarded the K Vintners "M.C.K." (Motor City Kitty) Syrah 98 points — calling it "a serious and intense syrah... beautiful freshness... firm, tight and compact... more structure here." Later that same year, the bottle landed at #31 on the James Suckling Top 100 of 2023. That alone makes this one of the most decorated Syrah releases of the modern Washington era.
The fruit comes 100% from the Oldfield-Boushey Vineyard — the highest-elevation block in Dick Boushey's Yakima Valley estate, planted on a southwestern slope with sandy volcanic soils. Three clones of Syrah (383, 174, and Joseph Phelps) co-ferment. Charles Smith has said the 2020 vintage "might be the best vintage we have ever had in Washington state history" — a long, temperate growing season that gave the wines focus, tension, and balance without sacrificing the dense black-fruit power that K Vintners is known for.
The MCK has been resting in our cellar since release. Six years on, the tannins are integrated, the perfume has opened, and the wine is ready. Wine Advocate's window runs into the 2030s; Vinous calls for cellaring beyond that. It is, for the price, one of the best New World Syrah pours in the country.
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James Suckling · 98 Points · #31 Top 100 of 2023 "This is a serious and intense syrah. Complex notes of chocolate, blackberries, black cherries, cedar and nutmeg here, with cracked pepper, rosemary and dried lavender. Evolving. Firm, tight and compact, with a full body. Beautiful freshness, too. More structure here. Try from 2025." (Mar 2023) |
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Vinous · 96+ Points "Dark and viral in the glass with savory exotic spices, crushed ashen stones, grilled sage and smoked meats... texturally deep with a wave of mineral-tinged black fruits accelerated by sour citrus, as sweet herbal tones form toward the close... there's simply so much going on here, and so much more to come through cellaring." — Eric Guido (Mar 2023) |
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Wine Advocate · 95+ Points "Floral, focused and mineral-driven, the 2020 MCK Syrah offers dark red fruits with delightful red and pink peppercorn notes. Full-bodied... the palate firms up with gripping tannins to reveal a rich mineral tension that lingers on the long, boozy finish. The MCK Syrah will remain a powerhouse and please New World Syrah lovers around the globe." — Anthony Mueller (May 2023) |
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Wine Enthusiast · 94 Points "The motor on this city kitty purrs, as bushels of black cherry and boysenberry fruit flavors are backed by a massive wall of tannins. As you swirl your glass to loosen things up, aromas of blackberries, black olives and bacon fat encircle your head. The fruit party on the palate is joined by bittersweet dark chocolate and saline. Enjoy now until 2032. Meow." — Michael Alberty (Oct 2023) |
"There are maybe four American winemakers who have produced multiple 100-point Syrah. Charles Smith is one of them. The 2020 MCK at 98 points and #31 on the JS Top 100 is one of the most decorated bottles he's ever released — and at $44.99, it's still at the price it shipped at. The four library Syrahs underneath it are 7–9 years aged, all in the JD 95–97 range, all still at release. This is the kind of cellar Bay Area collectors quietly build over a decade. Last call before we re-price for the next vintage."
— James Tran · Artisan Wine & Spirits
The Rest of the K Vintners Library
Four More Charles Smith Bottlings.
JD 97 to JD 95. All Aged. All Release-Priced.
Listed in descending Jeb Dunnuck score. Each click goes directly to the Artisan product page.
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★ 9 Years Aged · Bottle 1 of 4 · The Library Pick K Vintners "Cattle King" Syrah 2017
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| Order Cattle King 2017 → |
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Jeb Dunnuck · 97 Points "From a site on Snipes Mountain composed of rocky, basalt soils, the 2017 Syrah Cattle King... offers a complex bouquet of blackberries, mulberries, menthol, beef blood, and ground pepper. With a Cornas-like gaminess, medium to full body, and ripe, polished tannins, give it 2–3 years and enjoy over the following 10–15 years." (Apr 2020) |
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Wine Advocate · 95 Points "Opening with an opulent frame displaying the entire spectrum of fruits from red to blue, the 2017 Syrah Cattle King offers a juicy density and aromas of crème de cassis, boysenberry, black pepper and chocolate. Full-bodied... shows power and finesse in a heavyweight frame and ends with a long, bold and chocolaty finish. This is delicious juice." — Anthony Mueller (Dec 2020) |
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7 Years Aged · Bottle 2 of 4 · Same Vineyard, Newer Vintage K Vintners "Cattle King" Syrah 2019
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| Order Cattle King 2019 → |
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Jeb Dunnuck · 96 Points "Another full-bodied, rich, concentrated, powerful wine in the lineup... offers a brilliant perfume of darker berry and cassis fruits as well as notes of ground pepper, chalky minerality, and graphite, which turns more floral and peppery with time in the glass. It's a classic Washington State Syrah with tons of charm. It's certainly approachable today yet will benefit from just a few years of bottle age and keep for over a decade." (Jul 2022) |
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Vinous · 95 Points "The 2019 Syrah Cattle King is savory to the core, darkly floral and earthy with tart raspberry and sage aromas. This soothes with its elegantly ripe raspberry fruits and sweet confectionary spices, all energized by vibrant acidity. The Cattle King finishes with unexpected freshness yet is still quite tannic with a salty mineral tinge. This will be so incredibly pretty over time." — Eric Guido (Aug 2023) |
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7 Years Aged · Bottle 3 of 4 · The Cab-Syrah Co-Ferment K Vintners "The Creator" Red Blend 2019
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| Order The Creator 2019 → |
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Jeb Dunnuck · 95 Points "This puppy boasts a ruby/plum hue as well as terrific aromatics of blackcurrants, tobacco, iron, and peppery herbs. It's medium to full-bodied, has good freshness, ripe tannins, and the straight, focused, elegant yet still concentrated style of the vintage front and center." (Jul 2022) |
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James Suckling · 94 Points "Very aromatic nose here with a mix of red and dark berries, dried citrus peel, spicy herbs, seaweed and Asian spice. Medium- to full-bodied with a wide and broad structure and polished tannins. Juicy, berry-soaked mid-palate with a lingering, supple finish. 73% cabernet sauvignon and 27% syrah." (Jun 2023) |
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7 Years Aged · Bottle 4 of 4 · Only 547 Cases Made K Vintners "Rockgarden Vineyard" Syrah 2019
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| Order Rockgarden 2019 → |
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Jeb Dunnuck · 95 Points "Iron, black olives, peppery herbs, and both red and black fruits all emerge from the 2019 Syrah Rockgarden Vineyard, a balanced, deep, medium to full-bodied beauty with fine tannins and just about flawless balance. Coming all from the Rockgarden Vineyard in the Rocks region of the Walla Walla Valley and 100% Syrah that was not destemmed and was brought up in 40% new barrel, it's drinking brilliantly today and will cruise in cold cellars for a decade. 2022–2032." (Jul 2022) |
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James Suckling · 94 Points "An alluring nose. Aromas of dried flowers, grated nutmeg, baked cherries and pine cone. Full bodied with silky tannins. Linear, nuanced and charming. The floral character takes center stage, complimented by paprika and cardamom. Cocoa, too. Soft, gentle finish." (Feb 2022) |
Last Call · The K Vintners Library
Five Charles Smith Bottles.
Six to Nine Years Aged.
All at Release Prices.
The MCK 2020 at JS 98 / #31 Top 100. The Cattle King 2017 at JD 97 with nine years of cellar age. The Cattle King 2019 at JD 96. The Cab-Syrah Creator 2019 at JD 95. The 547-case Rockgarden Syrah at JD 95. Five bottles from one of the most decorated cellars in Washington — aged, ready to pour, and priced at what we paid on release. Last call before the next vintage replaces these on the shelf at significantly higher pricing.
| MCK Motor City Kitty 2020 — $44.99 → |
| Cattle King 2017 — $69.97 → |
| Cattle King 2019 — $66.97 → |
| The Creator 2019 — $64.97 → |
| Rockgarden 2019 — $46.97 → |
Cheers,
James Tran
Artisan Wine & Spirits · Mountain View, CA
Questions? Chat live · sales@artisan.wine
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