2014 Avennia Syrah Arnaut Boushey Vineyard

The 2014 Syrah Arnaut Boushey Vineyard is intense, showing a savory burst of grilled herbs and crushed ashen stones that gives way to dusty black currant, hints of olive and sweet smoke. Silky and polished in feel, this possesses masses of ripe black fruit and savory mineral tones that add a salty edge, all energized by brilliant acidity. This finishes potent yet unexpectedly fresh, leaving a spicy tinge of pepper and rosemary to fade amidst adolescent tannins. The 2014 is just starting to enter its drinking window and has a bright future ahead of it.

The 2014 Syrah Arnaut Boushey Vineyard is cut from the same cloth as the 2012 and has a ripe, full-bodied, sexy profile. Black fruits, scorched earth, violets, and spice all give way to a beautifully layered, seamless Syrah that shows more and more structure with time in the glass. I suspect this might shut down with 2-3 years of bottle age, so try a bottle now or hide them in the cellar for 4-6 years. I continue to consider Chris Peterson’s Avennia estate to be one of the best in Washington State and he’s been making world-class wines for a number of years now. He releases two white wines: A Sauvignon Blanc called Oliane and a Rhone blend of Roussanne and Marsanne called La Perle. The reds are broken up into a Rhône/Bordeaux groups, with the Rhônes including a Grenache, Syrah and Mourvèdre blend called Justine, and two single-vineyard Syrahs, the Le Corbeau from Mays’ Discovery Vineyard in Horse Heaven Hills and the Arnaut from Dick Boushey’s Boushey Vineyard on the western side of the Yakima Valley. The Bordeaux releases are built around the appellation blends and include the entry-level Gravura, Valery (Merlot dominated), and Sestina (Cabernet Sauvignon dominated). In addition, Peterson also makes a pure Cabernet Franc from Champoux Vineyard in the Horse Heaven Hills and a pure Cabernet Sauvignon from very old vines in the Red Willow Vineyard. As I hope these reviews show, these are brilliant wines readers need to seek out.

Deeper and richer than the Justine cuvee, the 100% Syrah 2014 Syrah Boushey Vineyard Arnaut (aged 16 months in 15% new French oak) is a sensational wine that offers awesome purity, full-bodied richness, ripe tannin and a great finish. With classic notes of black and blue fruits, pepper, olive, graphite and lavender, this sexy Syrah is going to drink nicely for at least a decade.