PlumpJack Syrah 2016
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Robert
Parker -
Jeb
Dunnuck -
Wine
Spectator
Product Details
Your Rating
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Winemaker Notes
The 2016 vintage has great complexity and character. This wine has savory aromas of white and black pepper, dried meats, and grilled mushroom along with the sweet aromas of blueberry, plum, and huckleberry pie. The palate is rich and dense with firm tannin, bright acidity, and a lasting finish. Like the nose, the flavors here are sweet and savory with blueberry, plum, au jus, white pepper, and grilled meats. The whole-cluster fermentation adds even more complexity with some green peppercorn and spice on the nose and a little bite in the finish. The oak imparts smokiness to the nose and bittersweet chocolate to the finish.
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Made of 100% Syrah, the very deep purple-black colored 2016 Syrah comes bounding out of the glass with powerful Black Forest cake, preserved plums and blueberry pie notes followed up by hints of espresso, peppered salami, licorice, charcoal and fertile loam. Full-bodied, rich and velvety textured, with loads of opulent fruit layers on offer in the mouth, it has an epically long, savory finish.
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Jeb Dunnuck
Tasted as a barrel sample, the 2016 Syrah is similar to the 2015, only slightly more pure and fresh. Blackberries, olive tapenade, smoked meats, and pepper all emerge from this medium to full-bodied, concentrated, beautifully pure Syrah that’s going to drink nicely for at least a decade. It’s a gorgeous Syrah that Rhône lovers should snatch up.
Barrel Sample: 93-95+ -
Wine Spectator
A velvety texture meets a complex structure, with black raspberry, smoky mocha and beefy pepper flavors that pick up richness and speed toward big but polished tannins. Drink now through 2026.
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PlumpJack Winery sits squarely in the heart of Napa Valley's renowned Oakville region, surrounded by a 42-acre estate vineyard highly-regarded for the quality of its Cabernet Sauvignon. Both their winery building and their vineyard date back to the 1800s, when winemaking pioneers first took advantage of a unique position on the valley floor. The east side of their vineyard lies along the foothills of the Vaca mountain range and yields grapes with the kind of bold fruit character that comes from well-drained hillside soils. To the west, their estate lies in the Napa River flood zone. Here, their vines take root in rich, deep clay soild, for grapes with softer, more supple varietal character. From their oldest, rockiest section - the "I" Block, where they source their Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve - to more recent plantings, they strive to maintain balanced vines.
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.