Immature full violet color. Ripe, opulent nose: black currant leaf, prune, bacon, rubber, charcoal, a touch of the stems and a bit of leather coming on (the just starting to get broken in kind). Concentrated, full textured palate: black plum, black cherry, black raspberry, some green peppercorn. The tannins are a touch astringent. Decent acidity. Its quite rich but it lacks real intensity, complexity and grip. Somewhat monolithic; in the end, we found this to be a bit rigid (we drank this one over the course of 5+ hours). Certainly a compelling syrah but it lacks the elegance of the very best Hermitages from this vintage. Very good. And still a long way from maturity. Can’t wait to see this at the twenty years on tasting to see if it has resolved the aggressiveness we find today. Now – 2030+.
