" We don't sell the wine without touching the vine "
Betz Family La Serenne Syrah 2016
No longer available.
| Country: | United States |
| Region: | Washington |
| Winery: | Betz Family Wines |
| Grape Type: | Syrah |
| Vintage: | 2016 |
| Bottle Size: | 750 ml |
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No Syrah terroir in Sonoma County compares with Sonoma Mountain’s northwest crown—cool fog-affected mornings, sun-bathed afternoons, cooled by persistent coastal breezes, and temperate evenings. The soils in Steiner’s Syrah blocks — ashy and moondust-like, littered with decomposing sea bed — further contribute to the unique nature of this site. After a 3-vintage hiatus, I am thrilled to be back working with Steiner Vineyard’s Syrah. By its nature, this slow-to-ripen, cool-climate site produces fabulously deep, intense, structured wines. Now, raising a big, brawny Syrah is no rare act of alchemy. It is the wonder of Steiner’s terroir — a magical elegance and beauty, informing the inherent power, depth and intensity — that makes this bottling so special. 2016 produced a classic wine that deftly balances massive flavors and texture, while retaining vital freshness, and a palpable sense of cool. Production was low, so get it while you can. Simply a “WOW” wine, not to be missed.
VINEYARD: Steiner Vineyard. Located at 1,100 ft, on the northwest crown of Sonoma Mountain. CRUSH: Early morning harvest by hand, October 1st, cluster and berry sorted, destemmed and crushed. FERMENT: 5-day cold soaks, followed by 14 day native fermentation in open-top bins. AGING: 20 months, French oak, 100% new, mixture of 300L hogsheads and barrique shapes. Never racked prior to bottling. Bottled unfined, unfiltered.
Review:
The 2016 Syrah Posted has a very deep purple-black color and youthfully coiled nose. It slowly reveals blueberry pie, crushed black cherries and blackcurrants with notes of mint chocolate, violet, iron and beef drippings. The full-bodied palate is packed with flavor layers, knit by firm but plushly textured tannins and finishing long with great uplifting freshness. Yum! 140 cases produced.
-Erin Brooks (Robert Parker) 94 Points
A Northern Rhone-inspired Syrah built from cool-climate Mendocino sites — Valenti Ranch at 2,200 feet, Perli Vineyard and the Drew Estate — fermented with native yeast and about 80% whole cluster, then raised some seventeen months in all-neutral French oak. Sanguine and mineral, with black olive, cracked pepper, fennel and iron.
“1752” is the name of the Damilano Barolo Cannubi Riserva, in honor of the year in which the historic bottle was first marked “Cannubi”. It still exists today perfectly conserved by the Manzone family in Bra, close to Barolo. The bottle is clearly marked as being of “1752” vintage, indicating that Cannubi historically precedes Barolo.
About the Vineyard:
The Cannubi Cru is in found within one of the 6 core zones which comprise a UNESCO heritage site in Italy. A mixture of Tortonian and Helvetian calcareous marl gives the grapes intense aromas of cherry, plum and tobacco, rose and violet in sequence. Its low potassium and high calcium/magnesium content offer the wine a fine and polished touch. The vineyard is located at about 270 m. a.s.l. and has a south-east sun exposure. Barolo Riserva Cannubi 1752 It is a small plot of about 2 hectares of Nebbiolo vines, currently between 30 and 50 years of age.
Tasting Notes:
Garnet ruby red in color, the bouquet is intense and balanced, with notes of violet, red fruit, cherry and plum, spices, liquorice, cocoa, leather and tobacco. Dry, robust, full-bodied, very persistent, rich and velvety
Food Pairing:
This wine is excellent with typical piedmontes pasta (tajarin, ravioli); perfect with red meat, braised and roast meat, game and absolutely ideal with all types of cheeses.
Review:
This is a phenomenal Barolo from a benchmark vintage. It’s so powerful and structured with toned and muscular tannins that run the length of the wine. Classic structure. Full-bodied but tight and intense. Flavors of forest floor, fresh mushroom, truffle, and cedar. Dried flowers, too. It goes on for minutes. This needs at least eight years to soften. Leave in the cellar! One of the greatest Cannubis ever. From the original parcel of the vineyard. Aged five years in cask and two years in bottle.
-James Suckling 100 Points
Finca La Pared Syrah is made from 100 percent Syrah.
Finca La Pared Syrah shows an expressive nose of dark fruit aromas and a mineral character.
Intense, direct, playful. Balance of forces.
Review:
The first vintage here was 2018. The 2019 Syrah is a saturated purple hue with a smoking good bouquet of smoky black fruits, cured meats, and leather, and it hits the palate with full-bodied richness, a plush, layered mouthfeel, and ripe tannins. It's balanced, has a deep, rich, concentrated style, and a great finish.
-Jeb Dunnuck 93 Points
Vanilla and hazelnut notes from the oak, worked into the peppery purple fruit and hints of violets. A juicy and flavorful red with a tight, full-bodied palate and quite a lengthy, creamy finish. Drink or hold.
-James Suckling 91 Points
Finca La Pared Syrah is made from 100 percent Syrah.
Finca La Pared Syrah shows an expressive nose of dark fruit aromas and a mineral character.
Intense, direct, playful. Balance of forces.
Machine harvested at night. Grapes with great concentration. Prefermentation cold maceration (cold soak) for three days. Fermentation and maceration are carried out in small stainless steel tanks, combining pumpovers and délestages The process is prolonged for approximately 20 days with gentle extractions. We gently press the grapes and the wine carries out its malolactic fermentation in even smaller stainless steel tanks. When the wine has naturally lost the thickest suspended solids, we transfer it to oak barrels. We chose American oak barrels that enhance the freshness of the wine and its refinement. The wine is aged for 12 months in the same barrels without racking. It isbottled after light filtration without fining.
Review:
Blackberries, ground pepper, violets, and some gamey, bouquet garni-like notes all emerge from the 2021 Syrah, a medium to full-bodied, deep, rich, wonderfully layered Syrah that seems to be a hypothetical blend of a California Syrah with an Hermitage. Drink bottles through 2031.
-Jeb Dunnuck 95 Points
This full-bodied and polished red has aromas of black olives, black plums, cracked pepper and tobacco. It’s compact and dark-fruited with ripe, well-integrated tannins. Pulls you in for more. Drink or hold.
-James Suckling 93 Points
Laird Jillians Red Blend is made from 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 18% Syrah, 10% Merlot, 5% Malbec and 2% Petit Verdot
21 months in 75% French Oak and 25% American Oak (40% new and 60% neutral)
Vineyard: Cabernet Sauvignon (60% Mast Ranch + 40% Linda Vista Ranch), Syrah (100% Eagle Vines Ranch), Merlot (100% Big Ranch), Malbec (100% Flat Rock Ranch) and Petit Verdot (100% Flat Rock Ranch).
Appellation: Napa Valley
Our family has been proudly growing grapes in Napa Valley for two generations; this unique fusion of four varietals honors the youngest member of the third generation in our farming family, our daughter Jillian. This Left Bank Bordeaux-style blend with a twist of Rhone is structured, but easy to drink. Jillian’s is the only blend we make and it’s our most popular red wine.
Tasting Notes: Complex and precocious just like the real Jillian. Its deep, ruby red appearance accompanied by viscous legs leads the way to a seductive bouquet of toasted oak, lavender and ripe strawberries. A medium bodied palate, with delicate tannins and acidity, leads the way to tart dusty cherries and boysenberries that dance across your palate, while flavors of clove, vanilla and blueberry custard unfold on the finish.
Review:
Currants and dried berries with fresh flowers and spices. Medium to full...
-James Suckling 92 Points
Product Description
Betz Family La Serenne Syrah is 100% Syrah
La Serenne is the most reflective of the site/vintage dynamic of our three single-site 2012 Syrahs. Lovers of this wine know that its source, the Boushey Vineyard, is the highest altitude of the three vineyards and is typically the latest harvested. This cool site was accentuated by the cooler season and the results reflect the seriousness of this vineyard and its care.
An extraordinary, nearly impenetrable black purple color leads to a concentrated, inky aromatic impression: smoky black cherry and wild blackberry dominate, but a litany of supporting aromas is already emerging: smoke, violet, mushroom, roasted meat, Chinese 5 spice and minerals. It has a full attack on entry and a big, rich mouthfeel that goes on and on.
Review:
"The 2016 Syrah La Serenne saw plenty of whole clusters as well as 11 months in French oak, 40% new. It’s deep inky colored with a smoking bouquet of blueberries, spring flowers, gunpowder like minerality, and liquid violets. With classic gamey Syrah character, plenty of pepper, medium to full-bodied richness, and a heavenly, silky texture, this might just be the finest vintage of this cuvée to date." 96 pts - Jeb Dunnuck
"The 2016 Syrah La Serenne hails from two acres within the Boushey Vineyard and was fermented with between 66% and 100% whole clusters. The wine is already very complex, wafting from the glass with notes of grilled meat, dried lavender, pepper and candied peel. On the palate, it's medium to full-bodied, ample and lavish, with a layered mid-palate, fine-grained structuring tannins, sappy acids and a sapid, saline finish." 95 pts - Robert Parker
"Dark, brooding and modern, this has pepper, cherry liqueur and chocolate plus exotic spicy flavors that extend through to the palate. Assertive, forthright finish." 95 pts - James Suckling
Winery: Betz Family Wines
We raise our glasses to all of you and say;
alla famiglia – to our family!
Since our first vintage in 1997 we’ve had a single minded goal of crafting compelling wines with individual character that are approachable and ageworthy, and which showcase Washington as a distinguished wine region of the world.
By carving out specific vineyard blocks and being meticulous in the vineyard and cellar we are able to achieve the quality we aspire to.
As importantly over the years our winery culture has become a way of life in which everyone – our growers, winery team and customers are family.
Today, Betz family Winery is headed by our two families, both committed to be true to our heritage, our family members, and true to what Betz winery embodies: wines of dimension and pleasure, wines that allow the character of Washington to shine through. They are a blend of the best elements of the new and the old worlds; full ripe fruit and yet structured for longevity.
We believe our best wines are yet to come.
Our Values
Washington’s Columbia Valley is one of the world’s blessed sites to grow classic wine grapes.
- The Betz Family Winery is part of the bigger ‘wine community” family
- World class vineyards and practices, with quality constant improvement
- Nothing happens by chance pay attention to detail every step of the way
- Leave the planet better off than we found it
- back
Joseph Phelps Insignia is made of 93% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Petit Verdot and 2% Malbec.
The 2019 Insignia opens with heady aromatics of red fruit, crème de cassis, leafy tobacco and delicate dried rose petals. The palate is juicy and dense with expressive layers of blackberry, raspberry, black currant, and dark chocolate. A dynamic wine offering captivating energy, length, complexity and refinement. The 2019 Insignia marks the first vintage to include fruit from the new Joseph Phelps vineyard named El Venadito, located in the Oak Knoll District, just south of the winery’s Yountville Vineyard.
Review:
Another beautiful wine from this team, the 2019 Insignia is mostly Cabernet Sauvignon but includes smaller amounts of Merlot and Malbec, brought up all in new barrels, sourced from seven estate vineyards. It has a classic varietal and incredibly complex nose of crème de cassis, freshly sharpened pencils, green tobacco, and damp earth, with a kiss of background sappy spring flowers. Seemingly from a cooler year with its freshness, vibrancy, and herbal, floral character on the nose, it's nevertheless full-bodied and beautifully concentrated on the palate, with ultra-fine tannins, a seamless, layered mouthfeel, and a gorgeous finish. Unquestionably up with the finest vintages of this cuvée, this is legit awesome juice that’s going to offer incredible pleasure over the coming 20-25 years. Hats off to winemaker Ashley Hepworth.
-Jeb Dunnuck 99 Points
Denner Vineyards Ditch Digger 2021 is made from 33% Grenache, 32% Mourvèdre, 22% Syrah, and the balance Cinsaut, Counoise, Tannat and Carignan.
Ditch Digger is Denner Vineyards' flagship — a Rhône-style blend grown on the limestone hillsides of Paso Robles' Willow Creek District. Named for Ron Denner's roots in the earthmoving business, it's a bold, layered wine of dark fruit, spice, and mineral drive.
Review:
The 2021 Ditch Digger is a blend of 33% Grenache, 32% Mourvèdre, 22% Syrah, 5% Cinsaut, 4% Counoise, 2% Tannat and 2% Carignan. It has kaleidoscopic aromas of wild berries, dried mint, mushrooms, forest floor and hints of floral perfume. The medium-bodied palate is notable for the concentration, definition and layering of its spicy fruit. It has a structure of chalky tannins, fireworks of fresh acidity and a long, dynamic finish.
-Robert Parker's Wine Advocate 96 Points
This flagship wine is designed to show the best qualities of the Denner estate. It evokes a Chateauneuf vibe, blended from 33% grenache, 32% mourvedre, 22% syrah, 5% cinsault, 4% counoise, 2% tannat and 2% carignan. Nicely layered red and black fruit with meaty, peppery accents. Full-bodied and moderately tannic, showcasing the vineyard rather than any new oak influence. Drink or hold.
-James Suckling 96 Points
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