Sequel Syrah 2007
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Winemaker Notes
Dark, lush and layered with blackberry, ripe plum and blueberry flavors complimented by aromas of black tea and incense. The wine offers great depth and richness with a silky texture and vibrant finish.
Blend: 98% Syrah and 2% Cabernet Sauvignon
Professional Ratings
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Wine Spectator
Delivers a lively mouthful of blueberry, plum, floral and white pepper flavors that cascade around one another through the long, vivid finish. Ripe and round. Drink now through 2017. 1,950 cases made.
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Wine Enthusiast
Pungent and spicy, dark and brooding, this wine brings it with deep, sappy berry fruit and overtones of meat and garrigue, all with muscle and verve. Tannins are firm and hard, showing some ripe stem and earth flavors, and plenty of barrel toast. Muscular and warm, this Syrah walks the line perfectly between the Rhône and Barossa.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2007 Sequel was made by Australian John Duval. It is made up of 98% Syrah and 2% Cabernet Sauvignon aged for 18 months in 65% new French oak and 5% 300-liter American oak “hogsheads”. A glass-coating opaque purple color, it emits an expressive bouquet of smoked meat, bacon, lavender, sage, blueberry, and plum. On the palate it is plush and layered suggesting readiness for near-term drinking. However, there is ample underlying structure for those wanting to wait for a more aged character. This lengthy effort should provide pleasure through 2022.
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Connoisseurs' Guide
Nicely focused, keenly varietal and proving that a wine can be, at once, both ripe and structured, Sequel's layered look at Syrah is a concentrated, complex and well-composed effort that shows plenty of potential for further improvement with age. That said, its polish and seamless construction afford it plenty of near-term appeal, and those who are simply unable to wait for the four or five years it deserves will find it a most handsome mate to roast leg of lamb even now.
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After 16 years as winemaker for Australia’s iconic Penfolds Grange, John Duval came to the Columbia Valley in 2003 as the “Sequel” to his life’s work with Syrah.
A generous and concentrated wine of great character, Sequel is notable for its deep purple hue, rich aromatics and layers of flavor. Almond, dark chocolate and cherry notes fill the glass, complimented by hints of black licorice, blackberry, cocoa powder and a touch of smoke.
Sequel is one of six distinct red wines from Long Shadows Vintners - a collection of ultra-premium wines, each built on the unique expertise of some of the world’s most knowledgeable winemakers to showcase the quality and caliber of Washington State’s Columbia Valley.
Since the beginning, Long Shadows' Director of Winemaking and Viticulture Gilles Nicault, has overseen the operations of the winery and worked closely with the vintners to bring each winemaker’s vision to completion. Internationally renowned winemakers Randy Dunn (Feather Cabernet Sauvignon); John Duval (Sequel Syrah); Philippe Melka (Pirouette Red Wine); and Michel Rolland (Pedestal Merlot) are active partners in their respective wines. Gilles now crafts Poet’s Leap Riesling and Saggi, a Sangiovese/Cabernet Sauvignon blend, in styles that remain true to their original winemakers, Armin Diel and Giovanni Folonari respectively. Gilles crafts Chester-Kidder, a Cabernet Sauvignon/Syrah blend, independently.
Gilles works closely with the state’s top growers to execute a diverse winemaking protocol at Long Shadows’ state-of-the-art facility in Walla Walla to produce wines of exceptional quality, true to the Columbia Valley’s terroir.
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.