2011 Kongsgaard, Syrah, California 1x750ml

Vinous 91

(15.7% alcohol; 4.0 pH): Saturated bright ruby. Brooding aromas of deep black raspberry, dark chocolate and meat pie, along with cooler peppery and licorice notes; reminded me of a more rustic Cornas style of Syrah. Supple but a touch medicinal, with its combination of dried fruits and pepper suggesting a wide range of ripeness. A wine of moderate flavor development, finishing with dusty, slightly drying tannins. The leanest vintage of the range except for the 1998, this 2011 doesn’t quite come alive. This was Kongsgaard’s 40th vintage making wine in California, as well as the year with the latest start and finish. He described 2011 as "our coldest vintage of all: we picked our entire red crop on November 2. We just waited and it remained miraculously mild after the mid-October rain." He went on: "We kept throwing away rotten fruit along the way and harvested just before the big last storm that was predicted for November 3. We ended up with just two tons of Syrah instead of a normal six." [Stephen Tanzer, 05/01/2016]

Anticipated maturity: 2019-2027

Robert Parker 90

The 2011 Syrah, which was only 100 cases in this tough vintage, was harvested from mid-October to November 2. It displays loads of bacon fat, black cherry and black currant fruit and a touch of black olive tapenade in an exotic, evolved, forward style to drink over the next 5-7 years. These all look like impressive wines, but they are so limited in availability, I’ve kept my tasting notes short. The brilliant John Kongsgaard " part winemaker, part opera devotee, and part mystic " has a few new items up his sleeve for release. Of course, he is still offering his Chardonnays and Syrahs, which are among the very best made in California. Over recent years Kongsgaard has branched out to produce Cabernet Sauvignon from Atlas Peak. He has two cuvees now that come from these volcanic soils, cropped at very tiny yields of one ton of fruit per acre. The wines come from relatively old vines for Napa Cabernet Sauvignon, 35 years of age as of 2012. Kongsgaard’s newest baby, which he started making in 2009, is only two to four barrels of co-fermented Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon in a 50/50 blend from the Atlas Peak site. Fax (707) 226-2936 [Robert M. Parker, Jr., 31/10/2013]

Anticipated maturity: 2013-2020