When preparing these notes I tasted the 2010 and 2011 vintages of this wine side by side, and not surprisingly, could have written exactly the same description for this new release as the prior year. We attribute this expression to the 25 year old vines we source it from at the Red Willow Vineyard (the oldest Syrah planted in Washington), where the vines show an element of stability and consistency; solid, even, perhaps more forgiving of vintage variation.

Slight differences are inevitable, but the same density and sense of ripeness emerge in both wines. The list of aromatic descriptors is lengthy: deep blackberry, plum, meat, smoke, rose petal, rock, roasted grain and earth. Even a bit of black licorice or cola.

This is the velvet hammer on the palate, brooding, deep and weighty. Loads of tannin without excess astringency make this a pleasure to enjoy already, but years of cellaring lie ahead. It’s supple, chewy from entry to finish with tobacco leaf, smoked meat and black olive flavors. Bring me a plate of roasted venison….

Blending Detail and Aging Profile

Blending Detail:
100% Syrah

Aging Profile:

• Best from 2015 through 2024    
• Serve cool, 60-62°F

AVA & Vineyard Detail:

100% Syrah from the Red Willow Vineyard, west end of the Yakima Valley

Acclaim

Jeb Dunnuck, Wine Advocate, (barrel tasting), 92-94

The most dense, meaty and black fruit-driven of the 2011 Syrahs, the 2011 Syrah La Cote Patriarche (100% Syrah all from the Red Willow vineyard) delivers a first-rate bouquet of smoked blackberry-styled fruit, pepper, bouquet garni, spice box and licorice as well as a medium to full-bodied, balanced and rich palate. Showing the same overall elegance and freshness that can be found in the other 2011s, it has the most mid-palate depth as well as the most age-worthy, structured feel. It should hit prime drinking at 4-5 years after the vintage and have 10-15 years or so of ultimate longevity, possibly more depending on how it develops. Drink now-2025.