2016 Hors Categorie Syrah | Walla Walla AVA Oregon 750ml

It's a well-known story, how in 1997 Christophe Baron, founder and vigneron of Cayuse Vineyards, planted his first vines in a field of stones because it reminded him of Chateauneuf-du-Pape in France. In the process, he almost single-handedly brought the world's attention to the potential of Syrah grown in the Walla Walla Valley.
His discovery of the Hors Categorie Vineyard site in 2005 unfolded in a similarly serendipitous way...{learn more}.

The 2016 Syrah is from an up and coming terroir located on the north fork of the Walla Walla River, in Oregon, and comes from two steep hillside slopes on broken basalt soils. Not destemmed and brought up in all neutral demi-muids, it has a Cote Brune-like style in its smoked red and black fruits, crushed violets, cold fireplace, bloody meats, and ground pepper aromas and flavors. Concentrated, medium to full-bodied, incredibly layered, and pure, it has an ultra-classic, mineral-laced Syrah style that's just magical to behold. Give bottles 2-4 years of bottle age and enjoy over the following 10-15. | 99 points, Jeb Dunnuck for jebdunnuck.com

The 2016 Syrah is almost shy on the nose, compact and focused, waiting to hit the palate with red fruit that is mineral and floral at the same time. The real magic happens when you taste the wine. It's like watching a jumbo jet land for the first time and wondering how something so massive could literally appear weightless as it lands. The wine glides across the palate effortlessly with focus and precision and evolves with layers, showing depth and breadth in an instant. The Syrah quietly explodes with textural appeal and peppercorn notes that linger and linger, turning to soft smoky meat with blackberry jus. Long drawn out, the finish is long and contemplative, continuing to wind down an ever-changing path with tones of mineral tension... The finish continues to be pulled longer and longer as if it were made of taffy... Absolutely stunning, bravo! | 99 points, Anthony Mueller for The Wine Advocate

...a scintillating wine that flirts with perfection... Aromatically this Syrah shows insanely good range from white pepper to red cherry preserves and potpourri with shades of white truffle that all shine brightly on the nose. The palate has incredible texture with gorgeous black fruits that collide with Umami, white peppercorns, wet stone, Kalamata olive tapenade and black cherry cordial. The mouthfeel is insanely good and the wine has a seamless quality that makes this truly one of a kind and almost reminds me of a great La Landonne. Showing marvelously in its youth, this will evolve well over the next fifteen years. Only slightly more than two thousand bottles produced of this incredible, one of a kind wine. | 99 points, Owen Bargreen for Washington Wine Blog