2017 Delmas Syrah SJR Vineyard
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Tasting notes
Dark and earthy in the glass, the 2017 Syrah SJR Vineyard blends black olives with freshly tilled earth and animal musk before evolving with tart blackberry and exotic spice. It's velvety in texture yet lifted in feel with stimulating acidity that guides its crisply ripe red and black fruits. This is pure class, finishing lightly structured and buzzing with residual tension, as sweet, dusty tannins linger along with a contrasting hint of sour citrus. The 2017 is just entering a beautiful place in its drinking window. The SJR vineyard refines in 60% new French oak with 50% whole cluster fruit used during fermentation.
Critic scores
Average Score
Stephen Tanzer, Vinous
Jeb Dunnuck
More reviews and scores
This estate continues to make a brilliant, singular Syrah, and the 2017 Syrah Estate doesn’t disappoint. Its ruby hue is followed by a crazily perfumed Syrah loaded with notions of ground pepper, olive tapenade, bacon fat, and spring flowers. A blend of close to 92% Syrah and 8% Viognier, this medium to full-bodied 2017 has a soft, elegant texture, no hard edges, and a great finish. It’s Syrah made with an almost Pinot Noir-like style and will deliver loads of pleasure over the coming 10-15 years.
Good dark red. Alluring notes combines raspberry, cherry, smoked meat, brown spices and star anise. Fat, plush, sweet and utterly seamless, delivering slightly liqueur-like flavors of raspberry, spices and flowers accented by a note of white pepper. Boasts good inner-mouth tension--especially for its high pH--but still needs time to gain in complexity. Finishes with substantial tongue-dusting tannins and more red than black fruits. This wine is just beginning to unfold and will probably evolve more slowly than the 2016. (14.5% alcohol; 3.94 pH; 60% new oak)