Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2014 Syrah Buffalo Hill from the Rockpile Vineyard is Cohn’s most expensive wine. It is 100% Syrah aged in 100% new French oak with 40% whole clusters. It is another tour de force, with absolutely amazing concentration. With blackberry, cassis, licorice, graphite, a full-bodied mouthfeel, a multidimensional skyscraper-like mid-palate and a long, long finish, this is incredible Syrah that should age beautifully for 10-15 or more years.
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.”
High elevation vineyards—800 to 2,100 feet—on well-drained soils of red and brown clay loam, gravel and large rock outcroppings produce low yields of intense, high-quality fruit. Surrounded by Northern Sonoma County and overlapping Dry Creek Valley in its northwest corner, the Rockpile AVA produces some of California most powerful Zinfandel, Petit Sirah, Syrah and Cabernet Sauvignon based wines.