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99 WA.
"One of the greatest Syrahs coming out of Washington is the 2012 Syrah Cattle King, and it's every bit as good as the more widely known Royal City Syrah. Coming from the Upland Vineyard on Snipes Mountain, my notes start with "wow," and then include a few more expletives. Exhibiting sensational notes of blackberry, cassis, licorice, crushed flowers, crushed rocks and graphite, this inky colored 2012 is full-bodied, massively concentrated and seamless, with incredible purity and length. If I had a bottle, I'd drink it tonight. Nevertheless, I'm sure it will evolve gracefully for at least another decade. As usual, this was a massive lineup by Washington's wild man, Charles Smith. Despite the larger-than-life persona, these wines are dead serious and are always some of the best I'm able to taste from the state. All of the Rhone varieties see 100% whole cluster, native fermentations and aging in mostly neutral French oak. At the top end, both the 2012 Royal City Syrah and 2012 Klein Syrah flirted with perfection, but the whole lineup is stacked with both quality and value. I think the 2012s are slightly superior to the '13s, but both of these vintages are strong here." Wine Advocate #219, Jun 2015 |