2011 Sanguis Syrah Pilgrim
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Tasting notes
(made with 25% whole clusters and no new oak; 30 months of aging before bottling): Opaque ruby. A heady, flamboyant bouquet of black and blue fruit liqueur, smoky Indian spices, licorice and candied flowers, with a smoky?? element building in the glass. Smooth, sweet and expansive, offering intense cassis and blueberry flavors that deepen with aeration. Surprisingly lithe for its heft and flavor intensity, finishing with strong thrust, sappy persistence and mounting tannins.
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Average Score
Josh Raynolds
Jeb Dunnuck, Wine Advocate
More reviews and scores
We finished the tasting with the Pilgrim Syrah, which incorporates a splash of Viognier and comes from the Bien Nacido and John Sebastiano vineyards. The 2011 Syrah Pilgrim is a beauty, especially in the vintage. It's even more impressive as the wine was just bottled two weeks prior to this tasting. Possessing fabulous complexity, with pretty white pepper, spiced meats, ground herbs and plenty of dark fruit, it hits the palate with medium to full-bodied richness, solid underlying structure and focused finish. The acidity is nicely integrated, there's solid mid-palate depth and the tannin, while noticeable, is polished and ripe, all suggesting this will evolve gracefully. Enjoy bottles over the coming 7-8 years. My tasting with Matthias Pippig was a big one, and the lineup is loaded with outstanding wines. Tel. (805) 845-0920; www.sanguiswine.com