2012 Herman Story Syrah White Hawk Vineyard
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Tasting notes
Dark purple. Heady dark berry and violet scents show outstanding energy, with suggestions of licorice, spicecake and cola emerging with aeration. Plush and seamless in texture, offering sweet boysenberry and cherry compote flavors and a suave note of candied flowers. Delivers a wallop of intense dark berry and floral flavor but comes off as shockingly graceful, with velvety tannins that fold quickly into the wine's intense fruit.
Critic scores
Average Score
Josh Raynolds
Jeb Dunnuck, Wine Advocate
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Another incredible Syrah, the 2012 Syrah White Hawk Vineyard was co-fermented with 2% Viognier and saw a slightly longer elevage, with 22 months in 65% new French oak. Its vibrant purple color is followed by pedal-to-the-metal notes of cassis, liquid smoke, chocolate and crushed flowers. Full-bodied, beautifully concentrated and hedonistic, it stays seamless and elegant, with superb overall balance, striking purity and a great finish. It will have decade or more of overall longevity. Unfortunately, there's only a tiny 500 cases to go around.