Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Another longer-term prospect is the 2012 Syrah Armada Vineyard. One of the more burly, structured releases from this estate, it's always poured after the Bionic Frog and is the last Syrah we taste in a vintage. The 2012 gives up lots of iodine, raw meats and floral notes that are balanced by a core of distinct black raspberry fruit, which in most vintages veers more toward the darker, more plummy side of the spectrum. Full-bodied, tight and yet nicely concentrated, with good tannin, it should be at its best from 2018-2028.
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Wine Enthusiast
This wine displays a broader fruit profile than The Rocks is often known for, with aromas of plum leading to crushed rock, cracked pepper, olive, herbs and smoked meat. The texture is captivating, both elegant in its styling yet rich, commanding attention with floral notes on the finish.
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Wine Spectator
Polished and round, featuring blackberry and cherry flavors layered with savory overtones of black tea and tar. Picks up a black olive note as the finish lingers. Drink now through 2022.
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.”
Responsible for some of Washington’s most highly acclaimed wines, the Walla Walla Valley has experienced a surge in popularity in recent years and is home to both historic wineries and younger, up-and-coming producers.
The Walla Walla Valley, a Native American name meaning “many waters,” is located in southeastern Washington; part of the appellation actually extends into Oregon. Soils here are well-drained, sandy loess over Missoula Flood deposits and fractured basalt.
It is a region perfectly suited to Rhône-inspired Syrahs, distinguished by savory notes of red berry, black olive, smoke and fresh earth. Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot create a range of styles from smooth and supple to robust and well-structured. White varieties are rare but some producers blend Sauvignon Blanc with Sémillon, resulting in a rich and round style, and plantings of Viognier, while minimal, are often quite successful.
Of note within Walla Walla, is one new and very peculiar appellation, called the Rocks District of Milton-Freewater. This is the only AVA in the U.S. whose boundaries are totally defined by the soil type. Soils here look a bit like those in the acclaimed Rhône region of Chateauneuf-du-Pape, but are large, ancient, basalt cobblestones. These stones work in the same way as they do in Chateauneuf, absorbing and then radiating the sun's heat up to enhance the ripening of grape clusters. The Rocks District is within the part of Walla Walla that spills over into Oregon and naturally excels in the production of Rhône varieties like Syrah, as well as the Bordeaux varieties.