x
  • Country ranking ?

    175
  • Producer ranking ?

    37
  • Decanting time

    3h
  • When to drink

    now to 2030
  • Food Pairing

    Roasted game with mushrooms

The Tb points given to this wine are the world’s most valid and most up-to-date evaluation of the quality of the wine. Tastingbook points are formed by the Tastingbook algorithm which takes into account the wine ratings of the world's best-known professional wine critics, wine ratings by thousands of tastingbook’s professionals and users, the generally recognised vintage quality and reputation of the vineyard and winery. Wine needs at least five professional ratings to get the Tb score. Tastingbook.com is the world's largest wine information service which is an unbiased, non-commercial and free for everyone.

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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate 98 points

The 2013 Syrah IX Estate may turn out to be better. It’s not as complex from a nuanced standpoint as the 2012, but it has possibly greater intensity than its sibling. Its blackberry fruit, charcoal, acacia flowers, grilled meats and beef tartare notes are all beautifully presented in a pure, succulent, opulent style. This is amazing sTuff, and a great example of a singular style of Syrah from Napa Valley. Drink now-2028.

 

James Suckling 98 points

Amazing aromas of cracked black pepper, smoked meat and blueberries. Blue slate. Full body, iodine, spice, crushed black fruit, and black pepper. Polished and velvety. Glorious. Why wait to drink this? Yet it has a bright future in the bottle.

 

Wine Spectator  95 points

Deep and powerfully complex, with an enticingly supple texture. Aromas of blueberry, chunky chocolate and smoky herb combine with layered flavors of huckleberry, cracked pepper and licorice, lingering toward big but plush tannins. Drink now through 2028.

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The Story

From low yielding clonal selections originating in the Cote-Rotie and Hermitage regions of France, the IX Estate Syrah is characterized by the Old World aromatics of the Northern Rhone and a remarkably nuanced bouquet of cured meat, pepper, blackberry, coffee and acacia, graced with a black floral uplift. Its voluptuous texture, savory palate with mouthwatering tannins, and dense black color is truly irresistible, smooth and expressive. Considered “one of the most unique Syrahs being made in California today.”

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Wine Information

The 2013 growing season set the stage for an outstanding vintage of wines. With the ideal blend of cool and warm weather at the right time, the season gave us perfectly ripened fruit with purely preserved flavors and inky grape skins. What was perhaps atypical about 2013 was the rainfall pattern, as we were in our second year of a drought. All of our winter rain fell during the months of November, December and a small amount in January. Beyond January, we had no rain, yet the weather as it relates to temperature and fog patterns was absolutely magical. With a classically timed bud break to start the season, then gorgeous warm weather during bloom, the vines set a homogenous and fruitful crop- an ideal setup to the harvest season.

 

In a sense the 2013 season was "made to order." By mid-September we reached a holding pattern of sunny and mild weather. By that point the berries had reached an unbelievable intensity of flavor, color and delicious tannin. The 2013 vintage was one that tested our courage to pick early rather than our patience to ripen the fruit longer. That same fortitude and self-restraint carried into the winemaking. With fruit so rich in flavor and texture, we found the wines extracted very effortlessly and thus the balance between power and elegance in the 2013 vintage was achieved with shorter macerations in the cellar.

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Latest Pro-tasting notes

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Written Notes

(75% new oak): Saturated deep ruby. Brooding, primary aromas of blackberry, cassis, black cherry, violet and licorice. Wonderfully tactile and chewy, showing more definition and detail today than the 2012 version in spite of its extreme youthfulness. Succulent purple fruit and spice flavors are complicated by a brisket-like meaty element I also found in the 2007 bottling at this tasting. At once bright and thick, this utterly seamless Syrah finishes with substantial dusty tannins and outstanding length.

  • 96p

With its tantalizing interplay of the sweet and the savory, the 2013 "IX Estate" Syrah exhibits the hallmarks of a memorable vintage. A captivating perfume of red raspberry, orange blossom and crushed rocks, this gorgeously vibrant and feminine nose is also nuanced with scents of peppered meats and barbecue spice rub. Scents of the "IX Estate" garrigue, like the native sage and fresh bay laurel leaves, bring even more complexity to this powerfully concentrated wine. The iron component of the weathered volcanic soils at the "IX Estate" weaves a strong note of pure minerality into the wine in 2013, giving it a telltale sense of place. The vivid red flavors burst in the mouth along with perfectly plush tannins that are salivating and succulent. This vintage of Syrah has an incredible viscosity on the palate that helps carry the aromas into a long persistent finish.

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Origin

St. Helena, Napa Valley
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