2018 La Cote Rousse Syrah

The 2018 Syrah La Côte Rousse, which includes 6% Viognier, was only 50% destemmed and spent 16 months mostly in used barrels. It's a beautiful, classic Red Mountain Syrah offering lots of savory red and black fruits, smoked meat, loamy earth, and spicy, peppery aromas and flavors. Nicely textured, medium to full-bodied, and surprisingly elegant, it picks up a kiss of violet and floral notes with time in the glass, has supple tannins, and a mineral-laced finish. It's a gorgeous, complete, complex Syrah to enjoy over the coming 10-15 years. 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.

Bright, dark red. Aromas of dark raspberry, mocha and spices are lifted by a note of candied rose petal. Smooth, fine-grained and densely packed, showing terrific inner-mouth mineral lift to its intense red and darker fruit flavors. Finishes with suave, firm, substantial tannins and slowly building length. This intense, tightly coiled wine, the only one of these Syrahs to include some Viognier (6%), still needs time to unwind. Today it comes across as less sweet than the Domaine de Pierres--or is it simply its lower pH (3.91, vs. 4.12)? (vinified with 50% whole clusters)

Coming from the Ciel du Cheval and Kiona vineyards, the opaque 2018 Syrah La Côte Rousse is a massive wine with a bold dark and black-fruited core on the nose offering a smoky essence and aromas of black peppercorn in the glass. Full-bodied, the wine is generous, dusty and mineral-driven, ending with a long, complex and slight lingering volatility and perceived elevated alcohol level on the finish. Made with 90% whole cluster, the wine fermented and rested in 40% new French oak barrels for 14 months. 2,400 bottles were produced.