2009 Jaffurs Syrah Upslope
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Tasting notes
(made from a six-barrel selection, including one barrel of Larner grenache): Glass-staining purple. Heady scents of black raspberry, boysenberry, incense and violet, along with subtle notes of black pepper and olive tapenade. Lush, spicy and expansive, offering powerful red and dark berry compote flavors and an exotic candied floral quality. Clings impressively on the long, spicy finish, with the boysenberry and floral notes repeating.
Critic scores
Average Score
Jeb Dunnuck
Antonio Galloni, Vinous
More reviews and scores
Always a selection of the top barrels of the vineyard designates, the 2009 Jaffurs Syrah Upslope, aged 18 months in oak, is a thrilling bottle of wine that delivers uncommon freshness and focus that's paired with brilliant richness and concentration. Sporting intense aromas of fresh blackberry, black currant, wet underbrush, white pepper, smoked game, and serious minerality on the nose, this full-bodied Syrah is awesomely concentrated and pure on the palate, with perfect balance, fantastic mid-palate extraction and depth, and a seamless, fresh profile that keeps you pouring another glass. Very youthful and tightly wound, this need 3-4 years of bottle age, and should drink brilliantly for 12-15 years.
Inky purple. A strikingly complex bouquet evokes candied dark berries, cola, incense and exotic Indian spices. Ripe and powerful but by no means heavy, in spite of the 15.2% alcohol. Stains the palate with intense blackberry and boysenberry flavors complicated by violet pastille and clove. Finishes sweet and very long, with excellent thrust and lingering spiciness.
The 2009 Syrah Upslope is a selection of the estate's six best barrels. Waves of intense dark fruit wrap around the palate in this thrilling, intense Syrah. The style here is decidedly towards the massive and muscular, but all of the elements take shape beautifully in the glass. This is a superb showing from Jaffurs.