2017 Hated Hunter Syrah

Named after Manfred’s grandfather, the 2017 Syrah The Hated Hunter is 82.4% Syrah, 7.8% Petite Sirah, 5.2% Mourvèdre, 2% Grenache, and the rest a mix of white varieties that spent just over 23 months in 59% new French oak. A classic 2017, it has an incredible nose of spice red and black fruits, ground pepper, dried flowers, and sandalwood. With full-bodied richness, no hard edges, gorgeous purity of fruit, and a finish that won't quit, it has everything you could want from a bottle of wine. This cuvée comes from a mix of the The Twin, Eleven Confession, Cumulus, and Molly Aida vineyards, and was bottled in August of 2019, with 1821 cases produced. Always one of the highlight tastings of my year, this report looks at the 2016, 2017, and 2018 new releases from Sine Qua Non. While splitting hairs, I think the 2016s are the finest wines here since the 2013s and have that rare mix of power, richness, complexity, and elegance that defines all great wines. While relatively approachable, the 2016s have the balance to evolve gracefully for 15 years or more. The 2017s are slightly more showy, sexy, and sunny wines, and where 2016s have similarities to 2014s, the 2017s remind me slightly of the 2015s with their huge aromatics as well as plenty of underlying tannins. These are worth hiding in the cellar for at least a handful of years. While tasted from barrel, the 2018s showed brilliantly and have a purity and elegance similar to both 2014 and 2016. All three vintages show incredible richness, flawless balance, and the purity and structure to age gracefully.

The 2017 Syrah The Hated Hunter (first tasted last year as a barrel sample and before it had been named) is composed of 82.4% Syrah, 5.2% Mourvèdre, 7.8% Petite Sirah, 2% Grenache, 1.2% Petit Manseng and 1.4% Viognier that was fermented with 26% whole cluster. The vineyard sources are 32% Eleven Confessions, 41% The Third Twin, 25% Cumulus and 2% Molly Aida. It was aged for around 23 months in French oak, 59% new. Deep garnet-black, the nose slowly unfurls to offer a vast array of savory, earthy, meaty notes—peppered salami, black olives, charcoal, wild sage and cast-iron pan—over a core of plum preserves, Morello cherries and boysenberries with wafts of menthol, tobacco leaf, Chinese five spice and aniseed. Full-bodied, the palate reveals surprising elegance, poise and restraint, delivering a mid-palate of exotic spices and a seductively plush texture, finishing with tons of earthy nuances and an invigorating minty lift. 1,821 cases and 600 magnums were made. "The Hated Hunter" features an old black and white photo on the label of Manfred Krankl's grandfather in hunting gear, posing with his rifle and hound. The companion 2017 Grenache to this Syrah is "The Gorgeous Victim," a reference to the black and white photo of a carefully composed deer trophy on that label. If wines can tell stories—and I firmly believe they can—I would love to revisit this evocative pair of wines after a decade of cellaring. What a dark, soul-searching, complex tale that will be.

The 2017 Syrah The Hated Hunter is a dense, powerful wine. Super-ripe black cherry, leather, spice and licorice are all amplified by the warmth of the year, which is very much felt. Unctuous, exotic and flamboyant to the core, the 2017 offers tons of immediacy if a bit less of the delineation found in more balanced years. Then again, that is 2017. (AG)