Reynvaan The Contender Syrah 2018
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Blend: 98% Syrah, 2% Marsanne
Professional Ratings
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Jeb Dunnuck
Exotic plums and berry fruits as well as ground pepper, violets, and sous bois nuances define the 2018 Syrah The Contender, which is 98% Syrah and 2% Marsanne, all aged 18 months in 25% new oak. Medium to full-bodied and just pure silk on the palate, it has fine, polished tannins, wonderful purity, and a great, great finish. It has the classic Rocks high pH and sexy texture, but don’t let that fool you, it will age gracefully.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2018 Syrah The Contender contains 2% Marsanne and was made using 25% whole clusters. Erupting with aromas of dark cherry, dusty plum and spiced blackberry reduction, elegant floral tones waft from the glass with seductive brown baking spices. Medium-bodied and with 13.3% alcohol, the palate is fresh, clean and delineated with immaculate precision and ripe, juicy notions with no hard edges. The wine somersaults to an elongated, evolving finish. The wine spent 18 months in 25% new barrels. It's devastatingly gorgeous and is worth the effort to seek out a bottle for yourself.
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Wine Spectator
Refined and gracefully structured, with multilayered raspberry, grilled herb and crushed rock accents that take on richness on the polished finish.
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Wine Enthusiast
Coming in at a low 13.3% abv, the wine has aromas offering restrained notes of soot, plum, olive, nori and scorched earth. The flavors are light and reserved. It's a pretty expression of Rocks District fruit.
Other Vintages
2016-
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Marked by an unmistakable deep purple hue and savory aromatics, Syrah makes an intense, powerful and often age-worthy red. Native to the Northern Rhône, Syrah achieves its maximum potential in the steep village of Hermitage and plays an important component in the Red Rhône Blends of the south, adding color and structure to Grenache and Mourvèdre. Syrah is the most widely planted grape of Australia and is important in California and Washington. Sommelier Secret—Such a synergy these three create together, the Grenache, Syrah, Mourvedre trio often takes on the shorthand term, “GSM.”
Responsible for some of Washington’s most highly acclaimed wines, the Walla Walla Valley has experienced a surge in popularity in recent years and is home to both historic wineries and younger, up-and-coming producers.
The Walla Walla Valley, a Native American name meaning “many waters,” is located in southeastern Washington; part of the appellation actually extends into Oregon. Soils here are well-drained, sandy loess over Missoula Flood deposits and fractured basalt.
It is a region perfectly suited to Rhône-inspired Syrahs, distinguished by savory notes of red berry, black olive, smoke and fresh earth. Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot create a range of styles from smooth and supple to robust and well-structured. White varieties are rare but some producers blend Sauvignon Blanc with Sémillon, resulting in a rich and round style, and plantings of Viognier, while minimal, are often quite successful.
Of note within Walla Walla, is one new and very peculiar appellation, called the Rocks District of Milton-Freewater. This is the only AVA in the U.S. whose boundaries are totally defined by the soil type. Soils here look a bit like those in the acclaimed Rhône region of Chateauneuf-du-Pape, but are large, ancient, basalt cobblestones. These stones work in the same way as they do in Chateauneuf, absorbing and then radiating the sun's heat up to enhance the ripening of grape clusters. The Rocks District is within the part of Walla Walla that spills over into Oregon and naturally excels in the production of Rhône varieties like Syrah, as well as the Bordeaux varieties.