2008 La Serenne Syrah
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Tasting notes
(from Boushey Vineyard) Bright medium ruby. Crushed blackberry, pomegranate, bitter chocolate and flinty minerality on the rather wild nose. Dense and vibrant on the palate, conveying an impression of serious phenolic content. Very dark flavors of blue and black fruits, licorice and violet. Highly complex wine with a firm tannic underpinning for aging. Betz notes that these Boushey Vineyard vines are planted on very old pre-flood soils, which are more minerally and less loamy than soils rich in flood sediments.
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Stephen Tanzer, Vinous
Jeb Dunnuck
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The 2008 Syrah La Serenne is sourced entirely from the Boushey Vineyard in Yakima Valley. It is aged for 12 months in 50% new French oak. A glass-coating opaque purple color, it delivers a brooding bouquet of smoke, Asian spices, incense, lavender, game, blueberry, and plum. Dense, layered, and powerful, it manages to maintain a sense of elegance and balance. It has enough structure to evolve for several years and should drink well through 2023. Bob Betz, MW, and his family continue to make some of Washington’s finest wine. Betz’s attention to detail is legendary; everything is done for a reason. He sources great fruit, oversees the farming, and his fine-tuned palate ensures the correct call on all the blends. Tel. (425) 861-9823; www.betzfamilywinery.com
More soft and supple than the ‘08 La Côte Rousse, the 2008 Betz Family Syrah La Serenne exhibits a vibrant purple color as well as loads of juicy raspberry fruit, licorice, flowers and perfumed spice aromas on the nose. It’s pure, fresh and shows beautiful clarity as well. On the palate, the wine is medium bodied with a smooth, supple texture, vibrant fruit and a seamless, long finish. Whereas the Rousse needs a year or two in the cellar to chill out, this should be approachable on release and then drink beautifully over the following 10 to 15 years.