Another longer-term prospect is the 2012 Syrah Armada Vineyard. One of the more burly, structured releases from this estate, it's always poured after the Bionic Frog and is the last Syrah we taste in a vintage. The 2012 gives... Read More
From a vineyard that has the highest clay content of all the estate vineyards, the 2013 Syrah Armada Vineyard is a classically built Syrah that has lots of northern Rhone-like meaty, gamey notes as well as ample dark fruits, beef... Read More
The 2011 Syrah Bionic Frog is another rocking Syrah from Christophe that does everything right. Creme de cassis, blackberry, smoked earth, toasted spice and violets emerge from the glass, and it flows onto the palate with full-bodied... Read More
From the oldest vineyard in the Stones (Christophe calls it The Stones, not The Rocks), the transparent ruby colored 2013 Syrah Cailloux Vineyard incorporates 5% co-fermented Viognier and has a distinct saltiness, as well as classic... Read More
Structured and backward, the 2012 Grenache God Only Knows Armada Vineyard offers lots of framboise, black cherries, bouquet garni and spice to go with a full-bodied, seamless, elegant feel on the palate. It picks up more and more... Read More
Grenache seemed to handle the heat nicely in 2013 and the 2013 Grenache God Only Knows Armada Vineyard offers a gorgeous, rich, almost masculine style (especially when it's tasted next to the No Girls Grenache) in its dark... Read More
Just slightly more ruby colored than the Cailloux Vineyard, the 2014 Syrah en Cerise offers more elegance and finesse as well as lots of black cherry, plums, Asian spice and dried lavender aromatics. Full-bodied, elegant and very... Read More
A wine that continued to change and develop in the glass was the 2013 Syrah en Chamberlin Vineyard, which is the smallest production cuvee of the 2013 single vineyard releases (there's 340 cases). Notes of smoke, charcuterie,... Read More
The density of an I-beam and the lift of a whisper. Sundance Vineyard in full bloom as we have never seen before. White pepper, orange skin, red plum. Black licorice, black leather, black sand. To behold is a treasure, to drink... Read More
100% Grenache that was harvested on October 23 and aged 22 months in neutral puncheons. Elegant and finesse driven, with a sweet bouquet of wild strawberries, mint, game, rose petal and dried flowers, it is medium to full-bodied,... Read More
In the same mold, with the buzzwords being finesse and elegance, the 2011 Syrah La Paciencia Vineyard offers textbook pepper, olive tapenade, smoke and crunchy berry fruits in its medium to full-bodied, seamless and beautifully... Read More
A smidge more evolved than the 2002, the 2001 Cabernet Sauvignon is made from 97% Cabernet Sauvignon and 3% Cabernet Franc, mostly from the famed Champoux Vineyard in the Horse Heaven Hills AVA. It offers a rock star bouquet of... Read More
The 2009 Cabernet Sauvignon (98% Cabernet Sauvignon and 2% Merlot) is a ripe, flamboyant and brilliantly proportioned effort that oozes kirsch, licorice, lead pencil shavings and dried spice on the nose. Showing the perfume and... Read More
More serious, and one of the wines of the vintage, the 2011 Cabernet Sauvignon (100% Cabernet Sauvignon) has uncommon concentration and depth in the vintage, as well as a broad, structured profile that will allow it to age gracefully.... Read More