Winemaker Notes
Pair with bacon and mushroom risotto and duck confit.
Blend: 99% Syrah, 1% Viognier
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2014 Syrah Black Bart Stagecoach Vineyard is blended with 1% Viognier. This is a big, mineral-laced Syrah with crushed rock, blackberry, earth and a muscular, masculine style. The minerality dominates the aromatics and flavor profile at this early stage of its development. This is serious, full-throttle, pedal-to the-metal Syrah that should age for 15 or more years, but needs some time in the bottle. Give it 4-5 years and drink it over the following two decades.
Rating: 92+
Undoubtedly proving its merit over and over, Napa Valley is a now a leading force in the world of prestigious red wine regions. Though Cabernet Sauvignon dominates Napa Valley, other red varieties certainly thrive here. Important but often overlooked include Merlot and other Bordeaux varieties well-regarded on their own as well as for their blending capacities. Very old vine Zinfandel represents an important historical stronghold for the region and Pinot noir is produced in the cooler southern parts, close to the San Pablo Bay.
Perfectly situated running north to south, the valley acts as a corridor, pulling cool, moist air up from the San Pablo Bay in the evenings during the hot days of the growing season, which leads to even and slow grape ripening. Furthermore the valley claims over 100 soil variations including layers of volcanic, gravel, sand and silt—a combination excellent for world-class red wine production.