2013 Va Piano Vineyards Syrah Portteus Vineyard Black Label
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Tasting notes
(vinified with 60% whole clusters): Bright red-ruby. Sexy nose combines raspberry, smoked meat, mint and a whiff of lavender. Pure and fine-grained if still a bit youthfully tight, with the fruit and game flavors lifted by violet, lavender and lilac florality. With aeration, some medicinal red fruits emerged. Distinctly less pliant than the 2012 bottling was at a similar stage, and even a bit tart, but I love the aromatics here. Give this one three years in the cellar.
Critic scores
Average Score
Stephen Tanzer, Vinous
Jeb Dunnuck, Wine Advocate
More reviews and scores
My favorite of the single vineyard Syrahs (but not by much), the 2013 Syrah Black Label Portteus Vineyard comes from the Rattlesnake Hills AVA and offers classic Washington State Syrah funkiness, with lots of tapenade, dried violets, cured meats and sweet cassis and currant fruit all emerging from the glass. Full-bodied, ripe, textured and layered, with smoking purity, it’s a terrific Syrah to drink over the coming 10-15 years.