2013 Walker Vine Hill Syrah
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Tasting notes
One of the larger scaled examples of this cuvee I’ve tried, the 2013 Syrah Walker Vine Hill saw only partial destemming and 20 months in 25% new French oak. Reminding me a great vintage of Hermitage Les Bessards from Delas, it boasts phenomenal notes of crème de cassis, graphite, roasted herbs, melted licorice and burning embers. Rich, voluptuous, seriously ripe and decadent, yet with density, tannin and structure, it needs 3-4 years of cellaring (it needs an hour decant or more if drinking today) and will have two decades of overall longevity. This is what great California Syrah tastes like!
Critic scores
Average Score
Robert Parker
Robert Parker
More reviews and scores
The 2013 Syrah Walker Vine Hill uses 55% whole clusters, 25% new French oak, and is again 100% Syrah, aged 20 months prior to bottling. Hermitage-like and full-bodied, with a dense purple color, notes of graphite, camphor, blackberries and cassis are all present as well as a flowery component that just seems to be part of the Donelan aromatic profile. This is seductive, lush, heady, but again structured and deep. Forget it for a year or two and drink it over the following 15+.
The 2013 Syrah Walker Vine Hill is dark, plush and super-concentrated in the glass. Raspberry jam, kirsch spices, menthol and spices meld together. The 2013 is ripe and unctuous to the core. This is an unusually exotic, intense Syrah loaded with rich, red-fleshed fruit, heady aromatics and exceptional balance. (AG)
The 2013 Syrah Walker Vine Hill uses 55% whole clusters, 25% new French oak, and is again 100% Syrah, aged 20 months prior to bottling. Hermitage-like and full-bodied, with a dense purple color, notes of graphite, camphor, blackberries and cassis are all present as well as a flowery component that just seems to be part of the Donelan aromatic profile. This is seductive, lush, heady, but again structured and deep. Forget it for a year or two and drink it over the following 15+. Mar 2016, www.robertparker.com