2012 Radio-Coteau, Syrah, Las Colinas, Sonoma Coast.
The new 2012 Las Colinas Syrah from Radio-Coteau is a gorgeous, seductive and well made wine that makes you wonder why anyone would buy a mediocre $100 Cabernet when you could drink this at almost half the price, well, in a way I’m fine with that, it means there are beautiful Syrah wines out there that are reasonably priced and not too hard to find. Syrah is always considered the next big thing in the wine world, but it never really is, even though the wines are stunning and easy on the wallet, Syrah is grown around the world and made into great wine, from France, of course, to Italy, Spain in Europe to Argentina, Chile and Brazil in South America, there’s super Syrah made in New Zealand and a huge selection from Australia, along with a host of fantastic wines crafted here in California, and Eric Sussman of Radio-Coteau makes one of the finest examples, from the cool Sonoma Coast. Sussman is a natural wine, low alcohol and an artisan producer, he uses native yeast fermentations and some stem/whole cluster with mostly neutral oak, much like the traditionalists of Cornas in the northern Rhone of Syrah’s historical home. The 2012 is an energy filled, dark and wonderfully textured wine, this is one of the best yet from Sussman, it comes off about 5 single cur sites with a mix of soils and clones, including Alban and Durell, it is an unfiltered beauty that should just get better over the next 2 to 5 years in bottle. The Radio-Coteau Las Colinas Syrah starts with violets, camphor, mineral and dusty/salted stones with a deep blueish black hue and a burst of mixed berries, leading to a sweet and savory palate of blackberry, boysenberry, plum, cherry and cassis/currant fruits with cracked pepper, mint, sage, bacon, iron and chalk with hints of cedar and licorice along with unsweetened coco and olive. This is really good juice, a very savvy wine and I highly you recommend you find some, and also check out Sussman’s Pinot, especially his glorious 2012’s.
($54 Est.) 94 Points, grapelive
