2017 Quivet Syrah Kenefick Ranch 100% Whole Cluster

From a site beside the famed Eisele Vineyard in Napa Valley, the 2017 Syrah Kenefick Ranch Whole Cluster takes all that natural Napa Valley fruit and tries to rein it in with stems. I think it succeeds admirably and it gives a more nuanced dimension to the straight Kenefick Ranch release. Rocking notes of spiced plums, blackberries, ground herbs, black pepper, and liquid violets, as well as hints of charred meat and black olives, all flow to a beautifully layered, seamless, incredibly complex Syrah that builds incrementally on the palate, with perfect ripeness and load of sweet tannins. This brilliant wine has no hard edges, full-bodied richness, and a finish that goes on for nearly a minute. ItÕs unquestionably one of the gems in this lineup and will compete with anything coming out of Napa or the Northern Rh™ne. It benefits from a decant, and my money is on it having 15-20 years of prime drinking.