Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The first of its kind, and a pure Syrah representing the ostensibly best portions of their In The Rocks plantings, the Reynvaan’s 2009 Syrah Stonessence weighs-in at what for its vintage and even compared with its immediate siblings must count as a low 13.9% alcohol. An almost gunpowder-like combination of smokiness, alkalinity, and char mingles with cherry preserves, tar, and sandalwood on an impressively pungent nose. A dense, fine-grained, and correspondingly striking palate adds fresh beef liver to the flavors anticipated on the nose. For all of its confitured red fruit richness, this evinces a surprising and welcome sense of sheer juiciness in a finish also characterized by a soy-like, strongly saliva-drawing savor and seemingly underlain by stone. “This is for very long keeping,” opines Baron. Barring a track record, I’ll confine myself to assuring you that it will merit at least a decade’s attention.
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Wine Spectator
Silky and supple, aromatic with wet stone notes, this has a polished frame delivering lovely red berry and black currant flavors, hinting at smoke as the finish lingers elegantly.
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.