Winemaker Notes
The 2016 Baby Bear Syrah is brimming with the wine’s signature wild blackberry, dusty plum and shaved dark chocolate aromas and flavors that complement classic olive tapenade, bacon fat and a subtle hint of ground black pepper. Purposefully aged 32 months in large format (600L) Taransaud barrels to soften and integrate the wine, Baby Bear Syrah delivers fine, velvety tannins and vibrant acidity for a complex, layered wine, equally suited to cellaring as it is to enjoying on release.
Professional Ratings
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Jeb Dunnuck
The 2016 Syrah Baby Bear checks in as 100% Syrah that was destemmed and brought up in two-thirds new French oak. It has a classic Syrah nose of black raspberries, leafy herbs, spring flowers, and peppered game. This carries to a medium to full-bodied, beautifully textured, elegant Syrah with fine tannins, good acidity, and a great finish. It will drink well for a decade.
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James Suckling
Flamboyant red with plenty of fruit, as well as undertones of green tobacco leaf and wet earth. Medium to full body, juicy fruit and medium-round tannins. Drink or hold.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Dark ruby with purple highlights, the 2016 Syrah Baby Bear shows a slight note of volatility and roasted coffee bean notes, with an undertone of oak spice and dusty blackberry. Full-bodied, the wine is dense on the palate with firm tannins. Still needing additional time in bottle, the wine ends with elements of bitter dark chocolate and spiced black tea.
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Wine Enthusiast
The aromas offer notes of roasted coffee bean, vanilla and bittersweet chocolate. A full-bodied, chocolaty palate follows, with well-balanced acidity. Barrel aromas and flavors play a leading role, with the fruit in support.
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.”
A large and geographically diverse AVA capable of producing a wide variety of wine styles, the Columbia Valley AVA is home to 99% of Washington state’s total vineyard area. A small section of the AVA even extends into northern Oregon!
Because of its size, it is necessarily divided into several distinctive sub-AVAs, including Walla Walla Valley and Yakima Valley—which are both further split into smaller, noteworthy appellations. A region this size will of course have varied microclimates, but on the whole it experiences extreme winters and long, hot, dry summers. Frost is a common risk during winter and spring. The towering Cascade mountain range creates a rain shadow, keeping the valley relatively rain-free throughout the entire year, necessitating irrigation from the Columbia River. The lack of humidity combined with sandy soils allows for vines to be grown on their own rootstock, as phylloxera is not a serious concern.
Red wines make up the majority of production in the Columbia Valley. Cabernet Sauvignon is the dominant variety here, where it produces wines with a pleasant balance of dark fruit and herbs. Wines made from Merlot are typically supple, with sweet red fruit and sometimes a hint of chocolate or mint. Syrah tends to be savory and Old-World-leaning, with a wide range of possible fruit flavors and plenty of spice. The most planted white varieties are Chardonnay and Riesling. These range in style from citrus and green apple dominant in cooler sites, to riper, fleshier wines with stone fruit flavors coming from the warmer vineyards.