2018 Betz Family Winery 'La Serenne' Boushey Vineyard Syrah Yakima Valley

Winemaker Notes:The 2018 La Serenne shines from the moment it's poured with dark, glass-coating, black-purple color. The aromatics show the characteristic Boushey "wildness": smoked meat, lavender, fennel, white pepper, and tarragon swirl along with inky blueberry, marionberry, and cacao nibs. The palate is rich and vibrant adding cracked espresso bean, clove, and dusty mineral tone. The polished tannic backbone indicates long cellar life, at least 15-20 years... if you can manage to resist it now.

CRITICAL ACCLAIM


James Suckling - "Aromas of blackberries, black raspberries, violets, black and white peppercorns and stones. It’s medium-bodied with fine, tightly knit tannins. Seamless and transparent with a silky texture. Very bright and pure with layers of wild berries and minerals. Tar and dark tobacco, too. Drink or hold."


Jeb Dunnuck - "The 2018 Syrah La Serenne comes from the Yakima Valley and is always a more gamey, complex, exotic Syrah than the Cote Rousse. All from the Boushey Vineyard and seeing 70% stems, its ruby/purple hue gives way to a great nose of blueberries, lavender, smoked game, and peppered meat. Blind, I'd have guess it was from the Rocks region in Walla Walla given it's gamey exotic, floral character. Beautiful on the palate as well, with medium to full body, building tannins, and plenty of fruit, it needs 2-3 years of bottle age and will cruise for over a decade."


Robert Parker's Wine Advocate - "Coming from the Boushey vineyard, the 2018 Syrah la Serenne opens with a bold nose that is broad-shouldered with nuances of spice and elegant tones that waft with a black-fruited dustiness and nuances of brown baking spices, black pepper and red and purple flowers. Medium to full-bodied, this Syrah is more generous than the Walla Walla Syrah, with a mouthfeel full of expression and a bold richness across the mid-palate. The wine ends with a good, long finish with lively tannins that linger. Made with 80% whole-cluster fermentation, the wine rested in 20% new oak barrels for 14 months. "