There are 750 cases (which means good yields for John, although any normal person would call 1.5-1.75 tons per acre financial suicide) of the 2012 Syrah Reva Alban Estate Vineyard, and it's a terrific vintage for this cuvee.... Read More
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
While a lot of the 2012s came in near the bottom of the barrel score, that wasn't the case with the 2012 Syrah Bionic Frog and this beauty flirts with perfection. Inky colored and purple to the rim, it offers extraordinary... Read More
Always coming from a small 2.5-acre block inside the En Cerise vineyard, the 2012 Syrah en Cerise is a fabulously complex, seamless and elegant Syrah that exhibits notes of dried cherries, currants, dried herbs, violets and cured... Read More
The wine that probably gets ignored, but shouldn't be, is their small production of 350-400 cases of Syrah from their estate vineyard. The 2012 IX Syrah Estate blew me away, and I've said many times that it always tastes... Read More
The star of the show is the 2012 Hermitage Les Bessards. Coming from the pure granite soils of the Les Bessards lieu-dit, on the western edge of the appellation, it's made from 100% Syrah and spent 16 months in 70% new French... Read More
The star of the show is the 2012 Hermitage Les Bessards. Coming from the pure granite soils of the Les Bessards lieu-dit, on the western edge of the appellation, it's made from 100% Syrah and spent 16 months in 70% new French... Read More
My two favorite wines included the 2012 Syrah Obsidian Vineyard from Knights Valley. Aged 20 months in 43% new French oak for 20 months, this is a bigger wine at 14.7% alcohol that comes from rather remarkable volcanic soils with... Read More
Similar to the La Mouline with its forward, incredibly sexy style, the 2012 Côte Rôtie La Turque (there's 7% Viognier in the blend) offers a saturated purple color to go with meaty, smoky notes of cassis, cured meats, chocolate... Read More
Starting with Rene's classic Cote Rotie, the 2012 Cote Rotie Ampodium is a mostly destemmed blend from Rene's 13 different terroirs. It's aged in a combination of demi-muid and older barrels, with just 5% being new.... Read More
The Syrah releases started with the 2012 Syrah Stock. Coming mostly from the Eleven Confessions vineyard in the Sta. Rita Hills, it also has portions from Cumulus, The Third Twin and White Hawk. Made from 84% Syrah, 7% Grenache,... Read More
Lastly, the utterly perfect 2012 Syrah Touche reminds me of a great vintage of Guigal's Cote Rotie La Landonne. A blend of 93% Syrah, 5% Petite Sirah and 2% Viognier, all from the Eleven Confessions Vineyard in the Sta. Rita... Read More
Lastly, the utterly perfect 2012 Syrah Touche reminds me of a great vintage of Guigal's Cote Rotie La Landonne. A blend of 93% Syrah, 5% Petite Sirah and 2% Viognier, all from the Eleven Confessions Vineyard in the Sta. Rita... Read More
More sweet, decadent and voluptuous, the 2012 Syrah Noir knocks it out of the park with its full-bodied richness, big concentration and deep, layered aromas of smoked meats, plum, licorice and wild flowers. There's enough... Read More