Betz Family Winery La Cote Rousse Syrah 2008
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Winemaker Notes
This year's blend is nearly equal portions of the two vineyards so it meshes the sinewy complexity of Ciel du Cheval with the sweet pure fruit of Kiona Vineyards. The result is a black red core with a deep edge. Blackberry, earth and licorice dominate the aroma, while a penetrating meaty, blue/black fruit note dominates the flavor. It has the typical La Côte Rousse dimension and with its additional tannin should cellar for years to come.
Professional Ratings
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Wine Spectator
Supple and open-textured, with a gorgeous array of dark plum, currant and blackberry fruit sailing through the full-throated finish. Not at all heavy, just exuberant. The finish lasts and lasts. Drink now through 2017.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2008 Syrah La Cote Rousse was sourced from the Ciel du Cheval and Kiona Vineyards in the Red Mountain AVA and was aged for 12 months in 50% new French oak. A bit lighter in color but with more mineral and earth notes as well as meaty blue and black fruit aromas, on the palate it is more structured (something for which Red Mountain fruit is noted) but the tannins are nicely integrated behind layers of concentrated, spicy fruit. This lengthy offering will benefit from 5-7 years of additional cellaring and should easily see its 20th birthday in fine form.
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Wine Enthusiast
This Red Montain Syrah spent a year in French oak, half new, half once-used. the fruit is wrapped in smoke and coffee, graphite and mineral scents and flavors. Crystal clear and densely packed, this shows none of the funk common in many Washington Syrahs, but an almost claret-like structure and grip. It should age well for a decade or longer.
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By carving out specific vineyard blocks and being meticulous in the vineyard and cellar they are able to achieve the quality they aspire to, the result being highly-acclaimed wines that compete on the world stage.
As importantly over the years our winery culture has become a way of life in which everyone – our growers, winery team and customers are family.
Today, Betz Family Winery is headed by two families, committed to be true to their heritage, their family members and true to what Betz embodies: wines of dimension and pleasure that allow the character of Washington to shine through.
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.”
As the first recognized wine-growing region in the Pacific Northwest, Yakima Valley is centrally located within Washington’s vast Columbia Valley. The region also includes Washington’s oldest Cabernet Sauvignon vines, Otis Vineyard, planted in 1957, and Harrison Hill Vineyard, planted in 1963. Yakima Valley contains three smaller sub-regions: Rattlesnake Hills, Red Mountain, and Snipes Mountain and is ideal for both red and white wine production. In fact, Yakima Valley is Washington’s most diverse region, boasting more than 40 different grape varieties over about one hundred miles.
The cooler parts of the valley are home to almost half of the Chardonnay and Riesling produced in the state! Both are made in a wide range of styles depending on the conditions of the vineyard site.
But its warmer locations yield a large proportion of Washington’s best Merlot, Syrah and Cabernet Sauvignon. The finest Yakima Valley reds are jam-packed full of red cherry, currant, raspberry or blackberry fruit, as well as cocoa, herb, spice and savory notes, and exhibit a supple texture, great body, focus and length.