Blonde du Seigneur Côte-Rôtie Syrah

Steak au Poivre wine. Black pepper, sanguine, and olive deliciousness.

Peppery, bloody and very light. Much improved on day 2.

Roast beef, purple raspberry, mesquite, pulverized granite. Salty licorice. So mineral; stoney, anise and bitterness linger.

Really nice and integrated a few days after opening.

Elegant and charming side of Syrah. Cracked pepper, smoked meat and red plum. Will age gracefully another decade.

So floored by the grace and level of detail this has. The acid is keen and runs a taut line from front to back, I hate to say it (because it’s not entirely true) but this has a more modest vintage character than that of most 2015s. Must be producer because I find the Vernay reds refined and charming in the best sense. Ripe red berry fruits, crushed black cherry, insane amounts of crushed granite. This is backed by beautiful floral and licorice aromas, it pumps garrigue without a moment of the peppercorn and meaty goodness being far behind. The tannins have some ripeness to them. Oak is a little pronounced at first, but suits the wine well upon opening.

Cured meat, Brett (BandAid here), green peppercorn (10X on the palate), rosemary, juniper, crushed wet stone, juicy cranberry, blackberry, and black plum. A whiff of round creaminess presumably from that 5% Viognier went away swiftly. Little staining, low viscosity (12.5%). Medium acidity and soft tannins. Destemmed, 20% new barrel.

Floral and elegant, viognier expressive, wild red raspberry, red plum and blackberry with hints of rosemary and minerals

This playful little number showed off all her beauty underscored by a subtle viognier blended in. Balanced, layered, light with a taunt of cherries and spice.

Gorgeous nose. Slamming. So pure. Berries. So subtle and feminine. Like so layered and subtle and nuanced. Complex and so juicy with wonderful structure and purity. Fresh with terrific acids and wonderful purity. Elegant but and dense as this is 15.

Very attentive with dark fruits and pepper. Sustains intensity beautifully.