2015 Bledsoe Syrah Stolen Horse
Estimated value
Buying options
Tasting notes
(14.5% alcohol; vinified with 20% whole clusters and aged in 40% new French oak, including a bit of 500-liter puncheon; bottled with Vinoseal glass closures in January): Bright ruby. Sexy scents of black raspberry, violet and licorice. Lovely plush, fine-grained wine from a cooler site in its hottest year on record. Lovely supple, smooth mid-palate with the concentration that comes from smaller grapes and yields. Finishes with ripe tannins and very good length--and not at all acid-deficient. The sugars kept rising, noted winemaker McDaniel, who said the fruit could have used more hang time for its the tannins to soften. Incidentally, this is Doubleback's first Syrah that's entirely from Walla Walla fruit; McDaniel noted that the winery has adopted a more reductive Pinot Noir approach to its Syrah.
Critic scores
Average Score
Stephen Tanzer, Vinous
Jeb Dunnuck, Wine Advocate
More reviews and scores
The 2015 Syrah Stolen Horse (96% Syrah and 4% Viognier) is part of a new signature series from this team. It is a ripe, sweetly fruited effort that has low acidity, a ripe, plump texture and decadent notes of ripe plums, cassis and licorice. I like the purity of fruit, but it lacks a touch of elegance and vibrancy at the moment. Nevertheless, it packs plenty of fruit and I suspect will show better from bottle as well.