2023 Stolpman Angeli
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Tasting notes
Always the more suave and enveloping expression of the Stolpman estate, the 2023 Angeli Syrah leads with a weighty bouquet of dark fruit compote, black licorice and warming spice notes with an herbal touch. It offers another gear of ripeness and concentration from the core Stopman lineup, concluding with a lush, layered finish that retains an upright, focused core and beautiful sense of levity. Despite the substantial power here, it remains a pure and authentic example of Ballard Canyon that should drink very well into its second decade.
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Average Score
James Suckling
Jeb Dunnuck
More reviews and scores
Ripe and supple yet cut with nervy, savory, crushed-rock minerality. Plums, purple fruit and blackberry preserves are inlaid with peppercorns, manzanita shrub and orange pekoe tea. Purple flowers hover through the grippy yet fresh finish of this concentrated, generous and energetic syrah. Drink or hold.
Inky hued, with rocking blue fruits, pepper, graphite, and liquid violets, the 2023 Syrah Angeli is a 100% Syrah fermented with 33% whole clusters and aged 18 months in neutral French oak puncheons. Medium to full-bodied, it has serious tannins and grip, and while there’s terrific purity and outstanding length, the overall balance is questionable at this stage. As with many of the 2023s here, the structure is aggressive, and it remains to be seen how it will evolve in bottle. Nevertheless, it has ample mid-palate depth and all the building blocks to shine with a few years of cellaring. Hide bottles for 2-4 years and enjoy over the following decade or more. Drink 2029-2039. This was a mixed bag from Stolpman. The 2023 reds are powerful, deeply colored wines with plenty of structure, but many show a carbonic-like edge and very firm, sometimes aggressive tannins. They come across as burly, backward wines that are going to need patience to be drinkable, and while there is no shortage of concentration or length, it is too early to say how this will all come together, and I would be lying if I said I was 100% convinced. Tasting them next to the 2022s certainly drives the point home, as the 2022s possess a sense of harmony, texture, and polish that the 2023s lack. Many times while tasting through the 2023s, I found myself wondering if this is how some older Northern Rhône wines might have tasted on release. Time will tell.
The 2023 Syrah Angeli is energetic and expressive, coating the palate with layers of blue fruit, chalk, lavender and toasted spice. The concentration is kicked up a notch here, giving the wine a richer, more fruit-driven profile that feels the most "New World" within the context of this dynamic lineup. Even so, the Angeli retains poise and clarity. It's a style I find wildly attractive.