2022 Stolpman Angeli

Ripe black and blue fruits, cracked peppercorns, violets, and gamey, bouquet garni notes all shine in the 2022 Syrah Angeli. A 100% Syrah, it was fermented with 33% whole clusters and aged 18 months in neutral French oak puncheons. Medium to full-bodied, it has a round, layered mouthfeel, ripe, integrated tannins, and a great finish. This beautifully made 2022 is already showing more harmony and polish than many of the firmer, more structured 2023s, and it will drink well over the coming decade. Drink 2025-2035. This was a mixed bag from Stolpman. The 2023 reds are powerful, deeply colored wines with plenty of structure, but many show a carbonic-like edge and very firm, sometimes aggressive tannins. They come across as burly, backward wines that are going to need patience to be drinkable, and while there is no shortage of concentration or length, it is too early to say how this will all come together, and I would be lying if I said I was 100% convinced. Tasting them next to the 2022s certainly drives the point home, as the 2022s possess a sense of harmony, texture, and polish that the 2023s lack. Many times while tasting through the 2023s, I found myself wondering if this is how some older Northern Rhône wines might have tasted on release. Time will tell.