2017 Hors Catégorie Syrah

The Wine Advocate 98 – Bursting from the glass, the 2017 Syrah has a mineral essence with aromas of summer sausage, black raspberry, blackberry and dark plum with savory aromas of black pepper spices, potpourri, touches of cocoa powder and freshly roasted coffee bean. The wine has a focus and precision that presides with the top bottlings from around the world. Aromas of newly tilled earth explode from the glass with floral notions of lilac and rose nuances that waft with spicy tones. Medium to full-bodied, the wine is seamless, bounding forth with complexity and a velvety richness that is exponentially compounded by the power the resides at its core. Devastatingly gorgeous, it takes my breath away, as the wine ends with a tightly wound, complex expression that continues to evolve over the elongated finish. With only 1,800 bottles made, good luck finding some, for if you do, you will undoubtedly be the envy of your wine treasure-hunting friends.

Stephen Tanzer 97+ – Deep, bright ruby-red; darker than the 2016. Knockout aromatic perfume combines blackberry, cassis, crushed rock, black pepper, licorice and violet; conveys outstanding lift and urgency in a way that would be virtually impossible from Syrah in The Rocks (the steep Hors Categorie vineyard is planted in the foothills of the Blue Mountains, just nine miles southeast of The Rocks). Imploded and light on its feet yet already sweet, with dense, seamless black fruit, violet and mineral flavors displaying outstanding energy and intensity. One would never guess that this wine has a pH of 4.1. Utterly seamless wine but youthfully wound-up in an Hermitage way, and savory for all its fruit. The tannins here are firmer and more substantial than those of Christophe Baron’s Syrahs from The Rocks, and this wine will take longer to reach full maturity. But it has the potential to gain in complexity and pliancy for the next 15 to 20 years. Really wonderfully concentrated, very pure wine with terrific spine for aging but no rough edges even today. The endless palate-staining finish perfumes the entire mouth, leaving behind Hermitage-like notes of black olive tapenade and crushed rock. Lay this one down. Is this now the best Syrah produced in North America? (14.1% alcohol)

 Jeb Dunnuck 97 – From Christophe’s new planting in the North Fork region in Oregon, the 2017 Syrah tastes like a wine from the La Landonne lieu-dit in Côte Rôtie, offering a huge nose of blackcurrants, wood smoke, chocolate, cured meats, violets, and damp earth. Rich, full-bodied, and powerful, it’s a singular, incredibly meaty, truffly Syrah that has a great mid-palate, ripe tannins, and a blockbuster of a finish. It’s another killer wine from this label that’s going to evolve for decades. I followed this bottle for four days and it never showed a hint of oxidation. Do your best to hide bottles for 4-5 years, count yourself lucky, and enjoy over the following 25+ years.