Whidbey Island Winery received a platinum medal for its 2006 Syrah at the WinePress Northwest annual “Best of the Best” judging of wines.

The competition included 538 wines from Oregon, Washington, Idaho and British Columbia that had already won gold medals in North America in 2010. Only 75 wines were awarded the platinum honor.

“This Syrah reveals how fascinating the variety can be from a cooler area of the Columbia Valley, offering aromas of ripe fruit, sweet spices and a hint of classic earthiness, followed by a palate filled with elegant blueberries and blackberries,” Andy Perdue of WinePress Northwest said.

“It’s all backed with gentle tannins and just-right acidity. Won gold at the Seattle Wine Awards.”

Syrah is a grape variety that originated in the Northern Rhone region of France. From the 1970s and even more from the 1990s, Syrah has enjoyed increased popularity, and plantings of the variety has expanded significantly in both old and new locations. In the early 2000s, it broke into the top 10 of varieties planted worldwide for the first time. The Whidbey Island Winery’s Syrah comes from a Yakima Valley grape.

The winemakers describe it as “a silky and seductive Syrah that has a Rhone valley style and structure with a dash of new world fruitiness. It has deep ruby color and a smoky nose, hints of white pepper and rich dark berry, ripe plum and chocolate flavors. Sinfully good with dark chocolate.” This wine costs $25 per bottle.

Find wines from Whidbey Island Winery at local grocers and wine shops or visit the winery in Langley.

Whidbey Island Winery is owned by Gregory and Elizabeth Osenbach and is at 5237 Langley Road.