To me, this is the ultimate expression of both Harrison’s craft and her genius. It shares both the vineyards and truly artistic and intuitive approach of Sine Qua Non – but the end result is utterly different.
Where Sine Qua Non and just about every other highly regarded Syrah from these vineyards come across a bit like motor oil – with the fruit WAY out in front – the fruit here (ample though it is) is about the fourth thing I get from this Syrah…after its breed and grace, its authenticity and pure terroir expression and its subtlety and length.
But the fruit is absolutely recognizable – and tastes the same (though you have to work for it more) as it does in Alban, Saxum or Sine Qua Non.
If anything this Syrah feels to me like a Marius Gentaz Cote-Rotie (okay, an obscure reference, but he was the real deal), but tastes like Saxum or SQN.
The 2014 vintage, a lighter one, earned 96 from Vinous (a huge score for them):
Deep violet. A highly complex bouquet evokes dark fruit preserves, sandalwood, candied flowers and spicecake, while cola and smoky mineral nuances build in the background. Fleshy and energetic on the palate, offering densely packed blueberry and violet pastille flavors that show outstanding definition and tension for their heft. Supple and appealingly sweet on the impressively long, floral-driven finish, framed by velvety, steadily building tannins.
This 2019, in a tiny, super-concentrated vintage (the best in the Wine Spectator’s vintage chart), is even finer. Harrison says:
While our production levels were regrettably tiny, the vintage gave rise to wines of particular intensity, crystallinity and verve.
Sheer brilliance.
