Magnificent, 94 Point Côte Rôti from California

 

A British couple settled in the hills of Mendocino where they found land with schist-like Cote–Rotie soils on a windblown cool mountain top overlooking the Pacific Ocean, which would become their “estate” vineyard. With the assistance of Justin Smith (Saxum), Crole Meredith & Steve Lagier (Lagier-Meredith), Mike Officer (Carlisle) and Wells Guthrie (Copain) they set out to plant what has become a much regarded Rhone-varietal vineyard. Wells helped develop and maintain the vineyard. Under the tutelage of the great Roar winemaker (Scott Shapley) they have put some very good quality and well-priced wines on the wine map!

Halcon 2018 Syrah “Alturas” Estate, Mendocino
GGWC 35.99
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Mix & match OK with other Halcon wines

The Alturas is a wonderful wine, offering up a youthful but superb bouquet of violets, cracked pepper, grilled meat and crunchy cassis. On the palate, the wine is medium-bodied, concentrated and tensile, with fine-grained tannins, a deep core of crunchy fruit and a long, sapid finish. While this is already delicious, it’s emphatically a young wine, and the real fireworks will begin when it has five years on the clock. Cropped at 1.25-tons per acre and fermented with 50% whole clusters, this lovely Syrah from Halcón wouldn’t be out of place in a flight of great Cornas. It’s also shockingly good value.

Vinous 94 Points: “A stellar, alluring wine, the 2018 Syrah Halcón Vineyard captures the essence of this site in its combination of inky dark fruit and savory, perfumed explosiveness. Blueberry, sage, mint, lavender and spice all race out of the glass in a magical, deeply expressive Syrah that hits all the right notes. Th Alturas 2018 is just magnificent!”

Jeb Dunnuck 94 Points: “Leading off the two Syrahs, the 2018 Syrah Alturas (there’s normally a splash of Viognier) offers a beautiful, Côte Rôtie-like bouquet of black raspberries, spring flowers, bacon fat, and scorched earth. Made in a fresh, lively style, it has good concentration, medium body, bright acidity, and plenty of polished tannins. It displays beautiful elegance as well as complexity.”
 
Also check out:
HALCON 2018 PETITE SIRAH “TIERRA” YORKVILLE HIGHLANDS 95 POINTS
 

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HALCON VIRTUAL WINE TASTING
Award Winning (Domestic) Rhone Varietal Tasting with Halcon owners Paul & Jackie Gordon