Côte-Rôtie, from the Northern Rhône, is traditionally a blended wine, with up to twenty percent Viognier allowed to add levity to earthy Syrah. This wine is a nod to that style, a co-fermented cuvée of 94 percent Syrah and six percent Viognier, from the Sonoma Coast.
The dense, concentrated Syrah forms a meaty base, while Viognier adds a fruity flourish of Mandarin orange and apricot. But darkness mostly prevails, primarily in flavors of bacon and pepper and blackberries. Oaky spice and cola sweetness feel like unnecessary ornaments, and I’d like to taste it with a neutral barrel treatment. Cellar it awhile to let the wine modulate and the flavors integrate.
14.1% abv | $65 (sample)
