2016 Stolpman Estate Syrah

Stolpman’s largest cuvée, amounting to some 4,400 cases, is the keenly priced 2016 Syrah Estate, which reveals a classic nose of blackberry, violets, rose petal, cracked pepper and grilled meat. On the palate, the wine is medium to full-bodied, expansive and juicy with an ample core of sweet fruit and good length and persistence. Some chalky tannins assert themselves on the finish, but it’s already drinking well.

The 2016 swooshes out of the bottle with a rich, decadent profile. At first blush, the wine comes out with a wave of piercingly pure purple – perfectly ripe, firm plums. With a few swirls the savory meaty, leather notes arrive. Then, a surge of high-toned energy emerges and a red tinge begins to layer and surround the evolving darker notes of blueberries, cinnamon, and chicory. Even youthful, the wine is unexpectedly refined and balanced – an Estate Syrah Edition for the ages. this middle ground – not jammy or gloppy like a warmer climate Syrah – but not austere and hollow like many young cold climate Syrahs.