2018 Betz Family Syrah La Côte Patriarche
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Tasting notes
The 2018 Syrah La Côte Patriarche is all Syrah sourced from the Red Willow Vineyard, on the western side of the Yakima Valley. It was only 30% destemmed and brought up mostly neutral barrels. It too has a blue fruited, exotic, complex style that includes plenty of smoked game, cracked pepper, cedary spice, and some obvious minerality. Deep, rich, medium to full-bodied, and concentrated on the palate, it has lots of structure and will benefit from 2-4 years of cellaring. It's a regal, classic, age-worthy Syrah. The style at Betz has changed subtly over the past handful of years, with winemaker Louis Skinner imparting his own style. The wines today are slightly less concentrated, and the deep, inky purple color preferred by the previous winemaker, Bob Betz, has been replaced with a more vivid ruby/purple hue that’s not always opaque. I love the overall balance of the wines today and I think taken as a whole, the new style emphasizes elegance and age-worthiness over sheer richness and power. Most of these 2018s should be given at least a few years in the cellar and will have broad drink windows. Louis is one of the most intelligent and inquisitive winemakers out there and he’s doing a fabulous job with these wines.
Critic scores
Stephen Tanzer, Vinous
Jeb Dunnuck
More reviews and scores
Bright ruby-red. The deepest-pitched of these Syrahs, showing aromas of blackberry, bitter chocolate, pepperoni and black olive tapenade lifted by violet. Dense, fine-grained and suave; at once rich and urgent, with scintillating blackberry, boysenberry and pepper flavors of outstanding intensity. Really vibrates on the middle palate and on the long, rising aftertaste. Tannins are firm and serious but utterly fine-grained and suave. For such a dense wine, this Syrah stands out most for its overall impression of weightlessness. (70% whole clusters)
Made from 100% Syrah grown at Red Willow vineyard, the 2018 La Côte Patriarche is opaque in the glass with aromas of blackberry and a dusty, rocky expression covered by black pepper aromas. Full-bodied, the wine is dense with tannins that grip the palate and firm up on the gumline. Flavors of dark cherry skin flutter in as the wine concludes with a large frame, without being overly inky. This is a big wine for the people who enjoy a big, bold, generous Syrah. Made with 80% whole clusters, the wine spent 14 months in 50% new oak. Only 3,000 bottles were produced. Yum!
The 2018 Syrah La Cote Patriarche comes from older vines in the Red Willow Vineyard in the Yakima Valley and offers some classic Washington State blue fruit tones as well as lots of graphite, rocky minerality, and gamey nuances. One of the bigger, richer Syrahs in the lineup, it’s full-bodied and beautifully balanced, with notable acidity and a great finish. It should be reasonably approachable on release, but smart money is on 2-3 years of bottle age. While most 2017s show plenty of upfront charm and appeal, the 2017s from the team at Betz buck that trend and are more structured and tannic. The cellar is going to be your friend with these.