97 Wine & Spirits

"Dr. Carole Meredith, a plant geneticist at UC Davis, and her partner, winemaker Stephen Lagier, bought this small parcel on Mt. Veeder in 1985. They planted it with Syrah in 1994 and have been quietly making this wine from it since 2000. Many wines in the Old World taste like the vines have accommodated themselves to their site; they have the bonhomie of a good marriage. In the New World, varieties and sites are constantly dating, but they rarely fall into a bond as electrifying as this. The wine has all the flavor elements you would hope to find in Syrah grown in the best site of northern Rhone: cool meatiness, lasting black pepper spiciness, scents of lavender and wild berries. And yet, it doesn't taste like it's trying to mimic anything; it tastes like it belongs exactly where it grows (a vineyard at 1,300 feet, on an east-facing slope surrounded by forest). The other powerful aspect of this wine is the arc of its development, gaining intensity over the course of several days after the bottle is opened, peaking in its exuberant complexity around the fifth day before slowly receding. That resistance to oxidation-indeed, the benefits the wine derives form exposure to air - is a strong indication that this wine will not only live long, it will evolve rather than simply mature. It meets that measure of greatness in wine."

"An incredible bouquet of flowers and mountain berry fruit could easily be mistaken for a new Chanel perfume. Dark ruby/purple in color, with hints of licorice, violets, blueberries, blackberries and cassis, this 2003 Syrah boasts medium to full-bodied, elegant, pure flavors that cascade over the palate with a multilayered silkiness. Nothing is out of place in this beautiful, complex, relatively evolved style of Syrah. Consume it over the next 5-6 years. A natural beauty!" -93 Points, Robert Parker, The Wine Advocate

"Fragrant aromas of cracked pepper, wild berry, plum and pretty floral scents give this a complex bouquet. The flavors fold over onto the palate, offering intensity, richness and depth with an underlying sense of elegance and restraint, with a gravelly, stony edge. Best from 2007 through 2012. 770 cases made." -92 Points, Wine Spectator