2013 Reynvaan Family Syrah In the Rocks
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Tasting notes
(13.5% alcohol; co-fermented with 5% Viognier): Bright red-ruby. Knockout nose combines violet face powder, game, pepper, black olive, brown sugar and a hint of cyanic peach pit. Sweet and dense but juicy and firm-edged, with a fresh apricot note from the Viognier carrying through to the finish of this sharply delineated wine. Really spreads out on the back end. (Reynvaan also opened a bottle of the 2008 In the Rocks and it was a revelation, beginning with its explosive perfume of black raspberry, black olive, smoked meat and fresh apricot. This dense, sweet wine displays superb fruit intensity and harmonious acidity, along with a bit more sweetness than the 2013. If it's not hugely gripping, it's wonderfully broad, pliant, sexy and very much alive, with a very long, slowly building finish featuring smooth, integrated tannins and a juicy character. I scored this bottle 93 points, and it should have at least another five years of life in bottle.)
Critic scores
Average Score
Stephen Tanzer, Vinous
Jeb Dunnuck, Wine Advocate
More reviews and scores
Co-fermented with 5% Viognier, the 2013 In the Rocks Syrah is another 2013 from this estate that offers more elegance and finesse than power and richness. Cassis, spring flowers, green olive and smoked meats all show from this medium to full-bodied, beautifully pure effort that has the charm to drink well today, and the balance to hold for a decade.
A cofermented blend of 95% Syrah and 5% Viognier, the 2013 Syrah In The Rocks, which saw 25% new oak, is another pretty, layered, medium to full-bodied and elegant 2013 that has perfumed raspberry, pepper, dried herbs and assorted floral aromas and flavors. Juicy and lively, with good acidity, it should be approachable on release and have 10-12 years of overall longevity.