By Duane Pemberton
Winery website: http://www.amavicellars.com
Sister winery to the famed Pepper Bridge Winery, Amavi has been producing wines that are aimed at delivering a really good quality-to-price ratio and this 2009 Syrah lives up to that.
Sourced from Walla Walla AVA vineyards, the fruit in this wine is stellar and Jean-François Pellet (winemaker), doesn’t miss a beat in keeping the essence of that fruit.
Technical Data:
- Varietal: 100% Syrah
- Vineyard(s): 47% Les Collines, 43% Seven Hills, 10% Pepper Bridge
- Appellation: Walla Walla Valley
- Oak Program: 100% French oak; 16% new, 84% used
- Harvest Date(s): September 10 through October 9, 2009
- Finished Alcohol: 14.1%
- Total Production: 1,396 cases
- Bottling Date: February 2, 2011
- Release Date: May 6, 2011
- Suggested Retail Price: $29.00
Nose: Blueberry laced jerky and game. I also get gorgeous notes of black licorice, pepper, dark chocolate and blackberries.
Taste: Definitely get a flood of blueberry compot coming in along with an accompianment of black fruit, peppercorns, licorice and ink. Stellar dark and blue fruit combine with a nice acidic backbone and tannin to create what I feel is one of the better Washington Syrah values going. The finish lingers with flavors of ink, tobacco and blueberried dark cocoa – which lasts for days.
