2017 Cayuse Vineyards Armada Vineyard Syrah

"Bright red-ruby. Dark scents of blackberry, black pepper, violet and smoked meat; blacker than the 2016. Intense, penetrating, juicy and tight, offering a faint citrus peel accent to its flavors of dark berries, minerals, violet, pepper and animal fur. Boasts lovely density and concentration without weight, thanks to an impression of harmonious acidity and high notes of violet and minerals. This beauty carries its firm core of dark berry fruit through a firm, rising, suavely tannic, savory back end, saturating the palate without leaving any impression of weight. A superb showing: this Syrah wine can be tasted with great pleasure today but should gain in complexity and pliancy with a few years of cellaring. I love the balance of salinity, gaminess, fruit and minerality." - 96/100 Vinous