Relic Wine Cellars Scarpa Syrah 2016
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Jeb
Dunnuck -
Wine
Spectator -
Robert
Parker
Product Details
Your Rating
Somm Note
Winemaker Notes
This is their 6th vintage of Phoenix Ranch Syrah, and the wine just keeps improving. They have dialed in our picking and have begun including a few stems to add complexity, resulting in a Syrah to delight hedonists, yet also please lovers of aromatic, cooler climate Syrah. The aromatics are classic with a melange of blackberry, raspberry coulis, black olive, underbrush, white peppercorn, bacon fat and tobacco. The palate is rich with powerful flavors, but not overripe, and concludes in a beautifully structured finish with soft tannins that add length and complexity.
Professional Ratings
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Jeb Dunnuck
One of the first wines they named, since the vineyard sources continued to change in the first few years, the 2016 Syrah Scarpa is 100% Syrah sourced from the Phoenix Ranch Vineyard that was fermented with 30% stems and aged in 40% new barrels. Blueberries, spring flowers, bacon fat, and olive notes all flow to a silky, ultra-fine seamless Syrah that has no hard edges, gorgeous purity, and a great finish. Another remarkable wine from winemaker Mike Hirby, it has classic Syrah complexity and nuances with some serious California fruit. Drink it over the coming decade.
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Wine Spectator
Bold, plush and polished, with vibrant blackberry, sweet anise and smoked pepper flavors that finish with refined tannins. Drink now through 2024.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
One-hundred percent Syrah from the Phoenix Ranch just north of Coombsville, aged for 21 months in 40% new French oak and using 30% whole cluster fermentation, the deep garnet-purple colored 2016 Syrah Scarpa has gorgeous blackberries, black cherries and mulberries with a wonderful spicy, peppery undercurrent with hints of wild sage and smoked meats. Medium to full-bodied, it fills the palate with spicy black fruits framed by rounded tannins and finishing long and savory.
Other Vintages
2017-
Jeb
Dunnuck
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Robert
Parker
Relic was founded in Napa Valley in 2001 by husband and wife team Michael Hirby and Schatzi
Throckmorton, with a focus on historic winemaking techniques. Inspired by a love of Burgundy, they began making a small amount of Pinot Noir, and have since continued to mine history for old secrets in the making of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay from the Sonoma Coast as well as Rhone and Bordeaux varietals from the Napa Valley, where their hillside cave winery is located.
When highly natural, traditional methods such as indigenous yeast fermentation, whole-cluster
fermentation, extended lees ageing, minimal-intervention, etc. - are applied to California’s great terroirs, the resulting wines are world-class, complex, layered, and vibrantly aromatic. The diverse vineyard sources are tended with the utmost care, and are always grown to Relic’s specifications of yield, light exposure, irrigation, etc.
After gaining a degree in Philosophy from Colorado College, Michael worked for 2 years as a
sommelier. Before moving to Napa Valley., he spent an extended period tasting with winemakers in France, where he learned that some contemporary winemaking rules are meant to be broken, and his traditional approach became entrenched. Michael is currently the consulting winemaker for D.R. Stephens Estate, Husic Family Vineyards, Sarocka Estate, Wolf Family Vineyards, Flint Knoll, and MAZE, and was the consulting winemaker at Realm Cellars for 8 years.
Schatzi gained a degree in History from Northwestern before moving to Napa Valley in 1999 to work harvest. Her skills were soon recognized, and she has been busy ever since. Schatzi is the Business Manager for Behrens Family Winery, where she has been for 17 years.
Undoubtedly proving its merit over and over, Napa Valley is a now a leading force in the world of prestigious red wine regions. Though Cabernet Sauvignon dominates Napa Valley, other red varieties certainly thrive here. Important but often overlooked include Merlot and other Bordeaux varieties well-regarded on their own as well as for their blending capacities. Very old vine Zinfandel represents an important historical stronghold for the region and Pinot noir is produced in the cooler southern parts, close to the San Pablo Bay.
Perfectly situated running north to south, the valley acts as a corridor, pulling cool, moist air up from the San Pablo Bay in the evenings during the hot days of the growing season, which leads to even and slow grape ripening. Furthermore the valley claims over 100 soil variations including layers of volcanic, gravel, sand and silt—a combination excellent for world-class red wine production.