2022 Cuvee Keltie Syrah
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Tasting notes
The 2022 Syrah Cuvee Keltie pours a darker red color and reveals more depth on the nose, with deep, iron-rich aromatics of pancetta, ripe red plum, olive tapenade, and purple flowers. The palate has a good deal of intensity and full-bodied richness, mouthwatering structure, broader-shouldered tannins, and long mineral persistence on the finish. Drink over the next 12-15 years. Started by Joe Donelan in 2000 in partnership with Pax Mahle of Pax Wine Cellars, Donelan changed its name to Donelan Family Wines in 2009. Based in Santa Rosa, it remains a committed producer of mostly Rhône-inspired wines under the leadership of Director of Winemaking and Viticulture David Milner. Donelan’s sons, Cushing (Director of Marketing) and Tripp (Director of Sales), also own and operate the brand and work with vineyard sites across Sonoma County. Tripp’s Block is their only non-Sonoma wine, the Pinot Noir grown at 2000-feet elevation in Perli Vineyard on the Mendocino Ridge, six miles from the Pacific Ocean.
Critic scores
Average Score
Jeb Dunnuck
Antonio Galloni, Vinous
More reviews and scores
The 2022 Syrah Cuvée Keltie is a huge, bombastic wine. Inky, deep and explosive, with tremendous textural resonance, it saturates the palate with masses of inky dark fruit. The Keltie is quite the powerhouse. The 2022 was done with 92% stems, the most ever here. It also feels a bit impacted by the heat, which is especially noticeable in its bruising tannins.