2016 Long Shadows Sequel Syrah
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Tasting notes
Dark ruby. Alluring nose combines black raspberry, minerals, black olive and bitter chocolate, along with meat and woodsmoke nuances. Tight-grained but not at all hard; in fact, there's a compelling plushness to the concentrated flavors of blackberry, blueberry, cassis, violet and bitter chocolate. Finishes long, with notes of violet and red licorice and substantial tannins that dust the incisors. This wine has a serious backbone for aging. Incidentally, Gilles Nicault told me that winemaker John Duval does a relatively long, cool fermentation (only up to about 77 degrees F.), whereas Philippe Melka, Michel Rolland and Randy Dunn allow the fermentation temperature to mount to about 82 degrees. (vinified with about 30% whole clusters; includes a significant percentage of Syrah from Boushey and Bacchus vineyards, planted in 1998 and 1993, respectively)
Critic scores
Average Score
Stephen Tanzer, Vinous
James Suckling
More reviews and scores
Plush and juicy, the 2016 Syrah Sequel has an open core of dense black fruit, subtle savory spices and sweet tobacco on the nose. The wine is inky and compact with some soft black spices and delicate oak notes on the full-bodied palate, but the fruit remains in the center spotlight. Ending with a long, winding finish, the wine offers up parting flavors of lingering spices that unravel with a grippy tannic edge. 1,924 cases produced.
This has attractively exotic spices and dark berries, as well as plums and spiced dark chocolate. Thereâs concentrated flavor and a juicy feel to the palate, whch makes for engaging drinking now. Drink or hold.
A blend of 93% Syrah and 7% Cabernet Sauvignon, the 2016 Syrsh Sequel is another ripe, sexy, yet pure and balanced vintage for this cuvée. Lovely blackberry, smoked earth, graphite, and ground pepper all flow to a medium to full-bodied, silky, elegant wine that packs less of a punch than normal, yet is balanced and layered, with a great finish. It will benefit from a year or two in bottle and keep for a decade. The talented Gilles Nicault continues to manage this estate and all its different cuvées brilliantly. The key factor to understand with these wines is that each is made with consulting advice from a different winemaker. Hence, the style of each is unique, yet the quality is top notch.