People always ask me which of our wines is my favorite and while I reserve the right to change my mind, this has consistently been mine. It carries a California designation as it is 2/3 Whitehawk Vineyard from Santa Barbara and 1/6 from Alder Springs in Mendocino and 1/6 from Halcon Vineyard in the Yorkville Highlands. It really shows that we were starting to get a handle on what these vineyards had to offer and how they interplayed with each other. I and other friends have slipped this blind into tastings featuring some of the best Syrahs in the world including SQN, Saxum, Guigal, Chave and others and it has always performed well (and at a fraction of the cost). Yes, I am proud of what we accomplished. Inky purple in color, opaque and shimmering bright. The nose is great with black raspberries, black olives, black pepper, violets and roasted meats and herbs. Medium to full bodied. Medium tannins. Great balance and acidity. On the palate, this is delicious. Flavors of black raspberries, black pepper, minerality spice and char. Long finish. At age eleven, this is drinking well and should easily go another ten years or more. Great on its own this will work well with bigger (not sea food) foods especially if they have a bit of char or spice.
Grade:
A
Score:
96
Vintage:
2013