2016 Betz Family Syrah La Serenne

• By Stephen Tanzer
  Focus on Washington: The New Normal (Nov 2018), 11/1/2018, (See more on Vinous...)

  (Betz Family Winery Syrah La Serenne Boushey Vineyard Washington Red) Login and sign up and see review text.

JebDunnuck.com

• By Jeb Dunnuck
  Latest Releases from Washington State, 4/5/2018, (See more on JebDunnuck.com...)

  (Betz Family Winery Syrah La Serenne) Login and sign up and see review text.

JamesSuckling.com

• By James Suckling
  3/20/2018, (See more on JamesSuckling.com...)

  (Betz Syrah Yakima Valley La Serenne, Red, United States) Login and sign up and see review text.

Full Pull

• By Paul Zitarelli
  Full Pull Betz (+Early Saturday CLOSURE), 9/16/2018

  (Betz Family Winery Syrah La Serenne Boushey Vineyard) Early Saturday CLOSURE: Note that we will be *closing at 3pm on this upcoming Saturday* (Sept 22) for a staff event. Please arrange your pickups accordingly, and thanks for your understanding. ---- Hello friends. Autumn release season is my favorite time of the year for Washington wine. Many wineries save the biggest of their big guns for this time, and it’s all we can do to keep our heads above water and field compelling offer after compelling offer from some of the finest wineries in the state. And speaking of the finest wineries in the state, let’s kick things off with a doozy: a limited set of Rhone releases from Betz Family Winery. After a 28-year career at Chateau Ste Michelle, Bob Betz launched his eponymous winery in 1997, crushing 150 cases worth of wine in the Woodinville warehouse district. He earned his Master of Wine one year later in ’98. Production grew from there to a few thousand cases over the subsequent decades, and the reputations of the wines grew even faster. In 2011, Steve and Bridgit Griessel came on board as managing owners, but Bob remains the consulting winemaker, alongside winemaker Louis Skinner. These remain challenging wines to source. The Betz mailing list closed in 2008, underscoring their status as one of Washington’s cult superstars. And the winery is still only open to its list members just two weekends each year: once in the spring, for the release of its Bordeaux portfolio, and once in the fall, for the release of these Rhone-styled wines. Furthermore, the press remains glowing. Get a load of Jeb Dunnuck’s most recent intro to the winery: Owned by the Griessel family since 2011, Betz Family Winery still has Washington State’s incredible ambassador of Bob Betz firmly involved in the winery, with the wines made by the talented Louis Skinner since 2013. This is an undeniable reference point estate for the Washington State and the wines go from strength to strength. Today, they are at the top of the hierarchy in just about every vintage. In addition, while it would be easy to sit back and maintain the status quo at an established estate like this, they continue to push for improvements in quality at every level, purchasing an optical sorting machine in 2015, creating a second wine, doing an even more strict selection for their top cuvées, and experimenting with stems in the ferments as well as with different sizes (and types) of vessels in their vinification and aging regimes. This is a terrific, world-class estate that readers need to try, and both the 2014s and 2015s are incredible wines. Speaking of Jeb, there has been plenty made of the differing palates between Wine Advocate’s former Washington reviewer (Mr. Dunnuck) and current reviewer (William Kelley). Well, one thing they clearly agree on: Betz’s 2016 Rhone releases are outstanding. I won’t say much here, because this is the most limited of the trio, but this has everything you want in Boushey Syrah: the smoked meat platter, the purple flowers, the intense berry fruit, the palate-staining (13.6% listed alc) texture. What a beauty. Wine Advocate: Copyrighted material withheld. Jeb Dunnuck: Copyrighted material withheld.