The 2012 Syrah's are just beginning to shine. This Estate Syrah is dark and robust, it emphasizing the deep, brooding, structured, yet fruit-driven side of the Syrah grape. Plenty of dark fruits (black cherry and currant) with complex background notes of spice and smoke. This is a knife and fork style wine, mouth-filling and concentrated with chewy but fine structure with a long, dry, mouth coating finish. If there ever was a wine that deserved a steak, well you just found it. This is a most excellent red wine!
Winemaking
All work is done by hand: from leaf-pulling and green drop, to harvesting into half-ton bins. Once the growing season is over, the fruit is gently crushed into half ton bins, where they undergo a slow, cool fermentation with 2-3 gentle punch downs per day. When fermentation is complete they pump the juice into French barrels, where they finish secondary fermentation and gently age for 24 months. As with many of their wines, they're inspired by the great wine-growing regions of France, where minimal manipulation allows the elegance of the terroir to be most fully expressed.
APPELLATION: Alexander Valley
VINEYARDS: Estate-Grown - Hillside Fruit
VARIETAL: 98% Syrah, 2% Viognier
AGING: Aged for 24 months in French Oak.
ALCOHOL: 14.5% by volume
PRODUCTION: 200 cases
95 Points
Rich and full-bodied, packed with dark fruit flavors of blackberry, ripe plum, and dark cherry. Notes of cocoa, cedar, and warm spice add complexity, while firm tannins and a touch of volcanic minerality reflect the bold characteristics of Calistoga’s terroir. Full-bodied in texture, and remarkably velvety. The tannins gracefully interweave, establishing a flawless equilibrium of acidity and pleasing fruit.
92 Points
Deep floral notes (violets), blackberry, black cherry, and cassis. Driven by the mountain's steep, cool-climate terroir, it balances rich notes of blackberry and pomegranate seamlessly intertwined with dark plum, cocoa dust, and roasted mocha, hints of roasted mocha and spice undertones add depth to its complex profile, culminating in a bold, yet elegant finish.
95 Points
This stellar Napa Valley Red Blend marries lush plum and cherry with Malbec's dark berry depth and Petit Verdot's structure and spice. Layered with notes of blackberry, violet, and cocoa, this silky wine finishes with smooth tannins and a whisper of toasted oak. Robust and mouth-filling, with spicy nuances, smooth tannins, firm structure, and a long lingering finish.
