2020 Hors Categorie Syrah
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Tasting notes
A darkly alluring and rich blend of plum sauce and sage complemented by dusty rose, balsamic spice and sweet smoke wafts up from the 2020 Syrah Hors Catégorie Vineyard. This is a textural joy ride, silky and deep, with blood orange nuances adding tension. A juicy acidity creates an energetic feel, and saline minerals pinch at the cheeks. There's simply so much going on that its fruit takes a back seat, still vivid and fresh, mixing tart raspberry with peppery rose and inner sage. It tapers off dramatically long, and with a crystalline tannic structure. Bitter blackberries mingle with dusty tannins as suggestions of white pepper fade. This may be the wine of the vintage. It’s frankly amazing to think about what will be possible as this vineyard matures.
Critic scores
Average Score
Jeb Dunnuck
Eric Guido, Vinous
More reviews and scores
Ripe red and black cherries, leafy herbs, crushed stone, forest floor, violets, and smoked meat notes all emerge from the 2020 Syrah, a deep, full-bodied, concentrated Syrah with ultra-fine tannins, a seamless, elegant mouthfeel, and a great finish. The purity, precision, and length here are truly something, and this beauty defies the vintage and is shockingly good.
Beginning with dusty aromas of spiced plum, dark cherry and black raspberry with hints of sage and cherry blossoms, the 2020 Syrah is savory, fresh and spicy. Full-bodied, tertiary and firmly structured with tight gripping tannins, it is precise and finessed on the palate, with a food-friendly mouthfeel, succulent spicy cherries and hints of umami notes. The wine continues to somersault over the long, lingering, mineral-laced finish. The wine aged for 18 months in a combination of neutral and third fill demi-muids. Just under 3,800 bottles produced.