2016 Bouquet Garni Syrah

The 2016 Syrah Bouquet Garni is composed of 100% Syrah from three clones planted on Goulding cobbling clay loam at 600 feet in elevation, fermented one-third in puncheons and two-thirds in stainless steel. Deep purple-black colored, it gives up notes of dried herbs, tar, black cherries and baked plums with touches of smoked meats and tapenade. Full-bodied, firm and grainy, it delivers mouth-filling black fruit and earthy layers with a very long, pepper-laced finish. 135 cases produced.

In addition to the Bordeaux blends and Pinot Noirs and Chardonnays, this estate makes a rockstar of a Syrah. Coming from Bennett Valley and brought up in a mix of puncheons and stainless steel, it boasts a deep purple color as well as textbook notes of darker berry fruits, cold fireplace, charred meats, and violets. Full-bodied, concentrated, and powerful, with plenty of sweet tannins, it’s going to benefit from a year or two of bottle age and cruise for a decade. I loved these latest releases from Luc Morlet and family, and they show a sensational mix of classic, balanced, even old-school, characters mixed with killer California fruit. As a whole, the 2014s show more elegance and complexity, with the 2015s possessing more power and richness. These are rockstar wines.

The 2016 Syrah Bouquet Garni bristles with energy, tension and nuance, especially tasted next to the more immediate 2015. Bright red cherry, plum, rose petal, mint and white pepper are all finely cut in this chiseled, energetic Syrah. The 2016 is super-impressive, and that is quite something given that the wine was racked just a few days prior to this tasting.