Shay A

9.4

Standout bottle from Reynvaan at almost 13yrs. I’ve really enjoyed their syrahs with 10+yrs on them.

95 Syrah/ 5 viognier (co-ferment). Essentially Reynvaan’s version of Cayuse’s Cailloux (both co-fermenting a splash of Viognier).

Lots of experience with these but this bottle just had a little bit “more” of everything. Consumed from bottle over the course of a couple hours before corking and consuming the second half the next day. Immediate “Rocks district” funk aromatically (not quite Cayuse-level funk, but close)…green herbal crunch, olive, dark florals. The mid-palate and finish are the stars…so much complexity in flavor (smoked meat, peppered rhubarb and blackberries, stems) wrapped in a beautifully elegant profile. Oak has faded away and acidity carries it beautifully. Whereas Cayuse wines stay sanguine, savory and herbal all the way through, this has a lifted, perfumed and balanced (fruit and herbs) finish that is eerily reminiscent of Guigal’s La Turque. Best Reynvaan I’ve had.

I really liked this on day one but loved it on day two (score reflecting day two). This is at the pinnacle of its window, so don’t miss it. — 6 months ago

Stuart Pollack

9.6

Spectacular if inelegant New World style Syrah. Great fruit flavors, bright grape and just so fresh. Complex flavors in the finish that are earthy. — 4 years ago

Paul T, Missing My Beautiful Wife 24/7

9.7

A couple notches above, but also about twice the price.
Jebs 98 point review as follows,

A full-on Rocks bouquet of leafy herbs, black pepper, black olives, sweet earth, and bloody blue fruits emerges from the 2018 Syrah SJR Vineyard, which is 100% Syrah from a notable vineyard in the Rocks region of the Walla Walla — 5 years ago

Al Shikoh

9.3

medium ruby violet fading to garnet rim; dark berries, black olives, black peppercorns, charcoal, beef jerky, prominent stem character; more savory than fruity on the palate with peppery finish; full bodied, medium+ acidity, medium+ tannin, 15% ABV; winemaker Charles Smith, 100% Syrah with 100% stem inclusion, aged 27 months in 53% new French puncheons; Powerline vineyard was planted in 2012 at foothills of Blue Mountains at 1200 feet elevation, in cobblestone river rocks with underlying sand and gravel; $46 — 6 years ago

Jon Ruyle

9.3

This is all wet rocks and blue fruit, just what I love. — 6 years ago

Dr. Owen Bargreen

9.5

The 2017 ‘The Funk Estate’ Syrah is a sensational follow up to the downright scintillating 2016 bottling by Richard Funk. The nose captivates the senses with Umami and seaweed character that meld with charcuterie, green olive tapenade and suggestions of blackberry cobbler. The palate is wonderfully textured with layers of huckleberry and blackberry compote that march with black tea, exotic spices, meat drippings and Umami. Soft, generous and showing outstanding length, this is simply a complete wine that has amazing elegance, texture and true Rocks terroir. This is truly remarkable in its youth, so why wait? Drink 2020-2028- 95 — 6 years ago

Shay A

9.4

Some recent Friday bottles...

Having tried the No Girls Syrah and Grenache, I was excited to give this a whirl when @Keith Fisher brought it down to open. It needed about an hour to open up and express the typical Rocks funk that I expected. Yet, the funk wasn’t overwhelming...roasted meats, soy, and green olive aromatically but gave way to baked black cherries, rhubarb, currant and spicy peppercorns. Nice weight here. Loved it. — 7 years ago

with Benjamin, Dan and 1 other

Jan de Weerd

9.9

This wine is in a different orbit. I can safely say I have never tasted a wine this smooth, this balanced, this subtle… this uplifting. Fine polished tannins take this juicy, vibrant fruit infused with black olive and lifted with earthy notes from the stones of the Rocks District to a finish that stays with you for minutes and can only make you think of one thing: I want another sip…. but I I want this wine to last for ever ….good problem to have 😁. Like Nicholas Joly said. A good wine makes you feel something deeply inside and you can ‘feel’ the wine. This one sure did. — 8 months ago

with RoAnne and Tammy

Ray Vanderhoff

9.3

Blend of Cabernet Sauvignon (80%) and Syrah (20%). Walla Walla (Rocks District) fruit. Dark purple color with a ruby rim. Lovely aromas of dried cherries, black plums, Earl Grey tea, iron, cardamom and black pepper. Same fruits on the pallet along with hints of black currant, black olives and that ever present touch of black pepper. Just a hint of mint on the finish. The Syrah really shines through on this one. Mouth drying (but smooth) tannins. Soft texture with a nice balance of acidity and alcohol. Aging beautifully! Revisited in March 2023. Still outstanding! Revisited again in October 2025. Savory notes are more prevalent (fruit more in the background) but still quite good. — 4 years ago

Aravind A

9.1

Still solid Rocks district syrah. — 4 years ago

Aravind A

9.0

A couple of years since my last btl. On the nose: lovely soft rocks funk (stewed, spiced cabbage?), loads black raspberry, olive brine, cola...fantastic aromatics. On the palate: very good acidity, cola, green herbs, more black raspberry, slightly creamy in texture...creamy finish, with largely attenuated tannin, but a touch of grip. Solid...but has this already peaked? — 5 years ago

Steve Medbery

9.6

Rock star of a wine! Floral, peppery, bacon on the nose, BlackBerry, smoked meat, olive on the palate. Complex wine with a long mineral finish. Love the 13.5 Alc. Could easily mistake for Hermitage or Core Rotie — 6 years ago

Tom Elliot

Founder Northwest Wines

9.2

White Rhône blend. Unfiltered turbidity. After 1 hour aeration, aromas of wet rocks. Grown in cobblestones. Farmed organic. 12.9 alc. Well done. Decant and drink now if you have some. — 6 years ago

Anthony Lombardi

9.2

One of the most affordable Syrahs one can find out there with fruit primarily from “The Rocks”. Saviah has been slowly moving more and more fruit from their estate vineyard in The Rocks to this bottling, and the 2017 vintage shows 80% estate fruit. This is mostly savory, briny stuff, but shows just enough blackberry & spice to show some accessibility in youth. In a really great place right now. Get some — 6 years ago

Nicolas Greinacher

9.5

The 2019 God Only Knows Grenache from wizard winemaker Christophe Baron is a radiating beauty. Pale ruby-colored, it displays fragrant aromas of violets, blood orange, exotic spices, raspberry liqueur, ripe cranberry, forest strawberry and crushed rocks. Medium bodied and layered, the ever-so-silky tannins and balancing acids contribute to a seamless mouthfeel so characteristic of Barons wines. It ends with a bright finish and should provide ample drinking pleasure over the next 15 years. — 3 years ago

Nicolas Greinacher

9.5

Deep purple, the 2018 Horsepower Syrah The Tribe Vineyard shines with precise aromas of violets, blackberry, orange peel, iodine, crushed rocks and delicate wood smoke. There'a also a meaty, deliciously savory component. Medium to full-bodied, the wine has a smooth, almost silky texture with clear traces of whole bunch fermentation, giving it some of the famous Christophe Baron funkiness. The ripe, pixelated tannins are alluring and contribute to a firm structure. Drink now until 2040. — 4 years ago

Jason and Jennie

9.5

My favorite syrah of the reynvaan portfolio. Despite not being from the rocks, i think it’s got the most funk. 95+ — 5 years ago

Jan de Weerd

9.3

No fruit to be found. Extracts squeezed from river rocks, earth and forest floor. All coming together into a dry elixir with a spicy edge. It kept evolving while we were drinking it. Don’t know how the grand finally would be because the bottle was empty too soon. — 5 years ago

with Tammy

Dr. Owen Bargreen

9.6

This is the first year that Billo Naravane has made this incredible wine. The Grenache entirely aged in natural oak while the Syrah saw 20% new oak before bottling. The wine is a stunning blend of 71% Grenache with 29% Syrah which was entirely sourced from the ‘SJR Vineyard’ in the Walla Walla Rocks AVA. Pretty red rose petals, red cherry candy and orange rind combine with shades of Hoisin sauce and Umami tones on this exotic nose. The palate is silky smooth with wonderful freshness and a great sense of elegance. The seamless effect on the mid-palate is nothing short of captivating, as is the exceedingly long finish that provides the crescendo. Vibrant and youthful, this beautiful wine will cellar well for another decade — but why wait? Drink 2020-2028- 96 — 6 years ago

Tom Casagrande

9.2

Delectable lists this as a Syrah blend, but the ‘13 is 60% Grenache. Just sayin’.

Nose is very complex. Plum juice, kirsch, dark metal shavings, sandstone, toasty baking spice. Subtle and savory in the mouth. Some dark berry fruit is there, but it’s swimming against a rip tide of dark, ashy minerality and savory notes. Long finish, with the lowish acids I have come to expect from WA State’s basaltic soils (the 40% Syrah is from Walla Walla’s Rocks District). Love it. — 6 years ago