Community Tasting Note

forceberry wrote:

Friday, July 3, 2020 - Made with biodynamically farmed grapes, 80% destemmed. Fermented spontaneously with indigenous yeasts. Aged for 11 months in old (2–6 yo) oak casks (92% pieces, 8% 400-l demi-muids). 13% alcohol.

Youthful and very deep blackish red color with subtly blueish overtones. Permits rather little light through. Classic, clean and wonderfully perfumed Northern Rhône Syrah nose with aromas of sweet black raspberries and brambly red raspberries, juicy boysenberries, some fresh blackberries, light floral notes of violets, a little bit of cracked peppercorns and a gamey hint of raw, bloody meat. At first the nose feels slightly tight, but opens up quickly, becoming more seductive by the minute. The wine is dry and ridiculously juicy on the palate with a supple, medium body and vibrant flavors of ripe blackberries and succulent boysenberries, some black raspberries, a little bit of meaty umami, light sanguine notes of iron and a hint of cool, stony minerality. The structure relies mostly on the high acidity, whereas the ripe tannins feel very soft and textural, contributing more to the firmness than to any tannic grip. The finish is long, gently grippy and quite noticeably bitter with a rather pronounced streak of sour cherries and tart lingonberries, followed by juicy flavors of ripe blackberries and boysenberries, some stony mineral tones, a little bit of sanguine iron, a savory hint of meaty umami and a touch of peppery spice.

A very beautiful, tasty and eminently hugely drinkable Northern Rhône Syrah. Although I prefer Syrah wines with a bit more tannic action, I'm not complaining: the emphasis here is on the balance, accessibility and purity of fruit, i.e. the wine definitely isn't tightly-knit or sauvage in any way. The wine is very drinkable and so very enjoyable already now, but seeing how very youthful, primary and fruit-forward it is at the moment, I can imagine it will continue to improve for years more. I'll probably wait for another 4-6 years before returning to this, just to see where it goes with age. Priced according to its quality at 26€.

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