Winemaker Notes
Winemaker, Justin Wylie
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
More floral, with perfumed violet, creme de cassis, blueberry, pepper and Asian spice, the 2012 Syrah Les Collines was fermented with 33% whole clusters and spent 15 months in 30% new Burgundy barrels prior to bottling. Full-bodied, concentrated and seamless, it has a rocking mid-palate, beautifully integrated acidity and the purity of fruit that’s the hallmark of the vintage. It, too, will be better in a year or three and drink well for over a decade.
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Wine Enthusiast
Almost jet black, this single-vineyard reserve sports marvelously complex aromas of smoked meat and dark fruits. Those perfectly ripened and layered berry, black cherry and cassis flavors are wrapped in slightly smoky, super-smooth tannins.
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Wine Spectator
Fresh, open-textured and deftly balanced to allow the plum and currant fruit to pop against the refined tannins. Black olive and tar hints linger on the finish. Drink now through 2022.
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.