2011 Stolpman, Syrah Angeli, Santa Ynez Valley.
The top wine from Stoplman made by the talented Sashi Moorman since day one is a extreme, no holds barred Syrah with pure Northern Rhone character. 40% less grapes, and even less wine in 2011 means this is even rarer! Whole cluster with a co-fermented dash of Viognier makes this super quality wine very Cote-Rotie like in style, think Guigal, Rostaing or Chapoutier, but still the very essence of Stolpman’s finest plots. This focused wine shows an array of flavors including blackberry, smoked blueberry, bacon, violets and melted licorice along with cracked pepper that all gather on the full and densely textured palate. This is a lengthy and hedonistic Syrah from a cool climate site that plays up style and terroir to perfection, nothing lost in translation! Credit to the Stolpman family and Moorman, even in such a difficult vintage they have more than just succeeded, they have found a touch of magic, bravo.
($70+ Est.) 94 Points, grapelive
