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+.