Made with Syrah that stays on the skins (with some whole clusters) for six months in amphorae, the 2020 Keir Rosso is a wine that requires considerable manual labor, Tua Rita proprietor Stefano Frascolla tells me. They work with five amphorae (called "orcio" in Tuscany). This is a wine of enormous character and depth. The winey founder, the late Virgilio Bisti (Stefano's father-in-law), always believed in Syrah and paid special attention to this varietal. His instincts proved spot-on, as Syrah from his property in Suvereto shows outstanding results. There is so much varietal character here with dark fruit, earth and crushed peppercorn. The results are bright, fresh and full of character. This bottle hits it out of the ballpark.

A pure expression of Syrah that spends six months in amphorae, the Tua Rita 2019 Keir Rosso is a gregarious and super fun wine that is a joy to drink and a great conversation starter thanks to the crafty approach used in its winemaking. Long skin maceration times give the wine extra intensity. The tightly pored surface of the clay amphorae (that are fired in kilns at very hot temperatures and long durations) means that the wine gets less oxygen during winemaking. This contributes to its delicate and elegant flavors and ultimately to the promising longevity of this vintage. Keir is not as full-bodied as other Tuscan Syrahs, but the wine shows terrific purity and focus instead. The bouquet offers punchy black fruit, plum, tea leaf and savory tobacco.

The 2018 Keir very much stands out in this set of new releases from Tua Rita. A passion project and something of an intellectual challenge accepted mutually by Stefano Frascolla and Luca D'Attoma, this is Syrah fermented in Tuscan amphorae with six months of skin contact (followed by four months in neutral oak). This vintage is especially delicate and pure, and one important reason for this is the growing season that was extended by 15 days in this 2018 vintage. That extra time allowed the fruit to mature slowly according to its own time table. This is a luxury that is appreciated by Syrah in particular. The wine emerges with delicate, almost fragile aromas of wild rose, wet earth, violets and crushed black pepper. Syrah is very expressive of territory and vintage, and this wine speak of classic Tuscany. It is naked in its purity. A precious few 4,000 bottles were made, and the wine's release date is October 2020. Keir represents a "new wave" of thinking from Tua Rita, and we will soon have a white version made with Ansonica grapes (also fermented in amphorae) from 100-year-old vines. That wine will be bottled this summer.

The 2017 Keir spends about six months in the famed terracotta amphorae made with Tuscan clay by the Manetti family, and the result is a very naked but elegant and beautiful expression of Syrah. The wine has a crisp freshness that would cut through any creamy meat dish. With creator credits owed to both the famed consulting enologist Luca D'Attoma and Tua Rita winemaker Marco Lamastra, this is a very nice, expressive and distinctive Syrah.