Winemaker Notes
The 2012 Deuce shows the best of Les Collines Vineyard combined with a bit of Rocks fruit. Fruit & funk. We truly believe it is one of the top 5 Syrah vineyards in Washington state. We are privileged to have Blocks 50, 46, and 36 on the slope. Fermented with 80% whole cluster, the wine was aged for 18 months in neutral puncheon and 225L barrels. The 2012 is the most intense and structured Walla Walla Syrah to date.
Professional Ratings
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Wine Spectator
Supple, ripe and provocative, with mineral, licorice and tapenade flavors running through a plush, generous core of dark plum and black cherry. Has presence and polish. Drink now through 2022.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Formerly named the Walla Walla Syrah, the 2012 Syrah The Deuce (100% Syrah, 80% whole cluster and 18% new French oak) is more upfront and sexy than the Lagniappe, with a Rocks-like character of lavender, smoked plums, roasted herbs and pepper. Full-bodied, beautifully balanced, pure and loaded with fruit and texture, it’s another great Syrah from this team to drink over the coming decade or more.
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Wine Enthusiast
Fermented with 80% whole clusters and aged 18 months in neutral French oak, this outright delicious wine offers aromas of black and green olive, mineral, moist earth and dried herbs. It’s seamless in feel, delivering lithe, pillowy soft fruit, savory flavors and a hyperextended finish. It’s a testament to the strength of Syrah from this region.
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Wine & Spirits
This is drawn from Les Collines, with a bit of fruit from the Milton-Freewater Rocks thrown in. And yet it’s the Rocks that give off the initial impression, the smoky mocha and dark olive scents adorning crushed strawberry flavors. The wine’s texture is lean and tense, with a thin stream of acidity to guide it; that acidity should play a larger role with some cellar time. Or serve this youthful, toothsome red with a plate of salumi.
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.