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Syrah Alturas, Halcon Vineyards 2017

RegionU.S.A.
Subregion U.S.A. > California
ColourRed
TypeStill
Grape VarietySyrah

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Tasting Notes

The 2017 Syrah “Alturas” from Halcón Vineyards includes three percent viognier this year, and again saw fifty percent whole clusters utilized. The wine is low octane this year, coming in at 12.7 percent and offering up a complex nose of dark berries, lavender, smoked meats, pepper, sweet stems, a beautifully complex base of soil, just a touch of cedar and a smoky topnote. On the palate the wine is pure, full-bodied and tightly-knit, with a good core, great transparency, ripe, well-integrated tannins, superb balance and grip and a very long, youthful and promising finish. This is going to age into a beautiful middleweight style of syrah that reminds me very much of some of those great Côte-Rôties from vintages such as 1979, 1985 and 1988. Very refined juice. 2027-2060.

92
John Gilman, View From the Cellar (85), March 2020

The 2017 Syrah Alturas checks in as the normal mix of 97% Syrah and 3% Viognier. Its ruby/plum color is followed by classic Syrah notes of blackberries, wildflowers, ground pepper, and damp earth. Reminding me of a Côte Rôtie from the southern part of the appellation, it has a rounded, elegant texture, fine tannins, and outstanding length. Give bottles 2-3 years. 2022 - 2032

91
Jeb Dunnuck, JebDunnuck.com, November 2019

The 2017 Syrah “Alturas” from Halcón Vineyards includes three percent viognier this year, and again saw fifty percent whole clusters utilized. The wine is low octane this year, coming in at 12.7 percent and offering up a complex nose of dark berries, lavender, smoked meats, pepper, sweet stems, a beautifully complex base of soil, just a touch of cedar and a smoky topnote. On the palate the wine is pure, full-bodied and tightly-knit, with a good core, great transparency, ripe, well-integrated tannins, superb balance and grip and a very long, youthful and promising finish. This is going to age into a beautiful middleweight style of syrah that reminds me very much of some of those great Côte-Rôties from vintages such as 1979, 1985 and 1988. Very refined juice. 2027-2060.

92
John Gilman, View From the Cellar, March 2020
Please note that these tasting notes/scores are not intended to be exhaustive and in some cases they may not be the most recently published figures. However, we always do our best to add latest scores and reviews when these come to our attention. We advise customers who wish to purchase wines based simply on critical reviews to carry out further research into the latest reports.