2016 Stolpman Syrah Hilltops Ballard Canyon
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Tasting notes
The 2016 Syrah Hilltops Estate is medium to deep ruby-purple and very savory on the nose: black and green olive, bacon fat, smoked meats, crushed blackberries and black cherries, toasted coconut and floral hints. It’s full-bodied and packs in the savory flavor layers, with a classy frame of grainy tannins and seamless freshness, finishing very long.
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Average Score
Jancis Robinson MW
Jeb Dunnuck
More reviews and scores
Bright but rather simple fruit. Grippy tannins and rather sweeter than the average Northern Rhône wine. (JR)
More bacon fat, gamey meats, pepper, and violet notes emerge from the 2016 Syrah Hilltops, and it's slightly fresher as well as more chiseled and focused on the palate. I love its purity of fruit and it's another textbook Syrah from this team. Give it a year or three and it will keep for a decade or more.
The 2016 Syrah Hilltops is a wine of both power and finesse. Unctuous and vertical in feel, the 2016 has a ton to offer. The purity of the fruit is striking, but it is the wine's voluptuousness and inner perfume that stand out most. Succulent red cherry, plum and pomegranate build into the vivid, racy finish. Give the 2016 another year or two in bottle to be at its best.