Tenet The Pundit Syrah 2013
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Product Details
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Somm Note
Winemaker Notes
Dark color with bright ruby highlights. Intense nose of dark cherry, cocoa, vanilla and hints of black truffles. The mouth feel is unctuous, with flavors of candied plum, cherry pie and vanilla. The finish is soft and seamless.
Blend: 94% Syrah, 3% Grenache, 2% Mourvèdre, 1% Viognier
Professional Ratings
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Wine Spectator
Shows nice tension between the ripe, dark flavors and crisp, lively structure, featuring a sleek core of plum and smoky tea flavors that carry easily into the long and deftly balanced finish. A little cellaring should soften the tannins. Best from 2017 through 2020.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Coming from the Columbia Valley in Washington State, the 2013 Syrah The Pundit (94% Syrah, 3% Grenache, 2% Mourvedre and 1% Viognier, all cofermented) is a classic Washington State Syrah that saw roughly 15-20% stems and aging in 23% new French oak and 16% new American oak, with the balance all in neutral French oak. It has outstanding notes of black raspberries, violets, spice and vanilla bean, medium-bodied richness, an elegant, seamless texture and a great finish. Ripe, rounded, fleshy and a joy to drink, it should put a smile on anyone's face over the coming 4-5 years.
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Wine Enthusiast
This is the inaugural release from this project that pairs Chateau Ste. Michelle with Rhône stars Michel Gassier and Philippe Cambie. Coming from a variety of vineyards across the Columbia Valley, it offers aromas of black cherry, smoke, incense and cocoa. The flavors are plush in feel with a finish that lingers—an impressive first offering.
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Wine & Spirits
Tenet is the new partnership between Ste. Michelle Wine Estates and consultants Philippe Cambie and Michel Gassier from France’s southern Rhône Valley. The 2013 Pundit is nearly all syrah, with accents of mourvedre, grenache and viognier. It’s as sunny as a summer’s day in Orange, with a plump, spicy depth of black fruit, like figs dusted with cocoa. Though the flavors are ripe, there is such a payload of dry extract that the finish feels firm and balanced. Lay it down for a few years and then serve with rosemary chicken.
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Tenet Wines is a partnership with the Chateau Ste. Michelle Winemaking team, along with Rhône Valley collaborators, winemaker Michel Gassier and the late enology consultant Philippe Cambie. It is a collection of wines from both the Columbia Valley in Washington state and the Costiéres de Nîmes AOC featuring Rhône-style varietals. At Tenet wines, they convinced that Washington state is an exceptional terror for Syrah and its Rhone Valley brethren. This partnership project establishes a parallel between Syrah’s cradle and most renowned region, the Rhone Valley, and its tremendous potential on Washington’s basaltic slopes.
Marked by an unmistakable deep purple hue and savory aromatics, Syrah makes an intense, powerful and often age-worthy red. Native to the Northern Rhône, Syrah achieves its maximum potential in the steep village of Hermitage and plays an important component in the Red Rhône Blends of the south, adding color and structure to Grenache and Mourvèdre. Syrah is the most widely planted grape of Australia and is important in California and Washington. Sommelier Secret—Such a synergy these three create together, the Grenache, Syrah, Mourvedre trio often takes on the shorthand term, “GSM.”
A large and geographically diverse AVA capable of producing a wide variety of wine styles, the Columbia Valley AVA is home to 99% of Washington state’s total vineyard area. A small section of the AVA even extends into northern Oregon!
Because of its size, it is necessarily divided into several distinctive sub-AVAs, including Walla Walla Valley and Yakima Valley—which are both further split into smaller, noteworthy appellations. A region this size will of course have varied microclimates, but on the whole it experiences extreme winters and long, hot, dry summers. Frost is a common risk during winter and spring. The towering Cascade mountain range creates a rain shadow, keeping the valley relatively rain-free throughout the entire year, necessitating irrigation from the Columbia River. The lack of humidity combined with sandy soils allows for vines to be grown on their own rootstock, as phylloxera is not a serious concern.
Red wines make up the majority of production in the Columbia Valley. Cabernet Sauvignon is the dominant variety here, where it produces wines with a pleasant balance of dark fruit and herbs. Wines made from Merlot are typically supple, with sweet red fruit and sometimes a hint of chocolate or mint. Syrah tends to be savory and Old-World-leaning, with a wide range of possible fruit flavors and plenty of spice. The most planted white varieties are Chardonnay and Riesling. These range in style from citrus and green apple dominant in cooler sites, to riper, fleshier wines with stone fruit flavors coming from the warmer vineyards.