Ripe black cherries, darker raspberries, sappy flowers, shiitake mushrooms, and a kiss of black pepper all define the 2021 Syrah En Cerise Vineyard, an incredibly pure, seamless, elegant Syrah from this estate. It's always a perfumed, exotic wine, yet the 2021 shines for its incredible purity, precision, and length. It benefits from air and will drink beautifully over the coming 15 years or more.
97 points, Jeb Dunnuck (Jul 2024)
Deep garnet-purple colored, the 2021 En Cerise Syrah pops from the glass with intense violets, licorice, and chargrill scents, giving way to a core of pomegranate, black cherries, tapenade, and sauteed herbs. The medium-bodied palate has tight-knit of black and red berry layers with a lively line and ripe, rounded tannins, finishing long and savory.
97 points, Lisa Perrotti-Brown, Wine Independent (Mar 2025)
Wickedly fresh, the 2021 Syrah En Cerise Vineyard opens with a dark mix of wilted violets, ashen stones, rubbed sage and musky currants. It's juicy and round with masses of black cherry fruits underscored by saline minerals and exotic spice, as a core of vibrant acidity maintains amazing lift despite its power and size. This leaves a balsamic and cocoa tinge, tapering off long and staining with edgy tannins and a resonance of black olive that lingers.
96 points, Eric Guido, Vinous (Dec 2024)
Arresting wood smoke and cured ham aromas lead to incredibly concentrated, earthy, meaty flavors matched by blackberries and black pepper that seem to swell on the palate and accelerate through the finish. Co-fermented with a small amount of viognier and aged in mostly neutral French, larger-format oak casks. From biodynamically grown grapes. Best from 2029.
96 points, Jim Gordon, Wine Enthusiast (Feb 2024)
The 2021 Syrah en Cerise displays a medium ruby hue with a soft garnet edge. It features sappy black cherry and sour plum notes complemented by spicy herbs and hung meat, offering an earthy, robust character. On the medium-bodied palate, dusty flowers and iodine unfold to firm, gripping tannins that lead to a finish marked by notes of smoked cherries. Best enjoyed with food. This Syrah spent 18 months aging, with approximately 20% of the wine resting in new French oak. A total of 4,548 bottles were made.
95 points, Anthony Mueller, Wine Advocate (Mar 2024)
Dynamic and polished, with multilayered raspberry and blackberry flavors laced with river stone, licorice, bacon fat and black olive as this builds richness and tension toward well-buffed tannins. Drink now through 2034. 379 cases made.
95 points, Tim Fish, Wine Spectator (Dec 2024)
Blackberries were no surprise. The aromas of meat and caraway seeds uniting to create a pastrami perfume however, were. The wine's blackberry-compote, rosemary and lavender-water flavors are equally captivating. The En Cerise shows a deft hand, with restrained alcohol, crisp acidity and velvety tannins. The En Cerise does not roar, it purrs.
95 points, Michael Alberty, Wine Enthusiast (Jul 2024)
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