2016 Efeste Syrah Jolie Bouche
Estimated value
Buying options
Tasting notes
The 2016 Syrah Jolie Bouche has a dark core with aromas of black fruit with a dusty mineral rigidity and black spice. It's medium to full-bodied and softly volatile on the palate, with stewed plum flavors and black peppercorn spices that follow, showing more focus than the nose leads on, ending with chewy dark fruits. 320 cases produced. My clear preference is for the Big Papa Old Block Cabernet Sauvignon.
Critic scores
Average Score
Stephen Tanzer, Vinous
Jeb Dunnuck
More reviews and scores
Made from 100% Syrah from the Yakima Valley, the 2016 Syrah Jolie Bouche is a big, fleshy, pleasure-bent beauty that offers loads of blueberries, black raspberries, spice, and incense aromas, medium to full body, fruit galore, and a great finish. It's terrific today yet has the balance and tannic grip to keep for 7-8 years.
(vinified with about 40% whole clusters): Bright ruby. Extremely primary aromas and flavors of blackberry, violet, bitter chocolate, clove and crushed-rock minerality; this smells like a barrel sample. Then very ripe and densely packed, showing lovely texture and a restrained sweetness. As young as this wine is, it already conveys a harmony of elements. The long finish features dark chocolate and good mineral verve, with mouth-saturating tannins nicely supported by the wine's mid-palate material. (Incidentally, the 2016 Ceidleigh Syrah was sappy and concentrated but two bottles were impossible to assess with confidence owing to strong reduction.)