Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Bursting from the glass, the 2017 Syrah has a mineral essence with aromas of summer sausage, black raspberry, blackberry and dark plum with savory aromas of black pepper spices, potpourri, touches of cocoa powder and freshly roasted coffee bean. The wine has a focus and precision that presides with the top bottlings from around the world. Aromas of newly tilled earth explode from the glass with floral notions of lilac and rose nuances that waft with spicy tones. Medium to full-bodied, the wine is seamless, bounding forth with complexity and a velvety richness that is exponentially compounded by the power the resides at its core. Devastatingly gorgeous, it takes my breath away, as the wine ends with a tightly wound, complex expression that continues to evolve over the elongated finish. With only 1,800 bottles made, good luck finding some, for if you do, you will undoubtedly be the envy of your wine treasure-hunting friends.
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Jeb Dunnuck
From Christophe’s new planting in the North Fork region in Oregon, the 2017 Syrah tastes like a wine from the La Landonne lieu-dit in Côte Rôtie, offering a huge nose of blackcurrants, wood smoke, chocolate, cured meats, violets, and damp earth. Rich, full-bodied, and powerful, it’s a singular, incredibly meaty, truffly Syrah that has a great mid-palate, ripe tannins, and a blockbuster of a finish. It’s another killer wine from this label that’s going to evolve for decades. I followed this bottle for four days and it never showed a hint of oxidation. Do your best to hide bottles for 4-5 years, count yourself lucky, and enjoy over the following 25+ years.
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James Suckling
Lots of blackberry, tar, spice and wet-earth aromas and flavors. Tight and focused. Smoky undertones. Full-bodied, compact and flavorful. Shows pretty length and intensity. Lots of burnt citrus in the aftertaste.
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Wine Enthusiast
The nose shows classic Walla Walla Valley Syrah aromas of soot, black olive, black pepper and salami. The palate is intense and flavorful, but also brings a sense of deftness, density, intensity and detail, with abundant savory and floral accents. The balance is impeccable and the finish is seemingly endless. Best after 2026.
Cellar Selection -
Wine Spectator
Bursts with smoky meat and pepper aromas that open to multilayered and polished cherry and raspberry flavors, building richness on the finish.
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.