Syrah Californio, HdV (Hyde de Villaine) 2018

It really smells like Cote-Rotie with purple fruit, grilled meat, tar, ink and oyster shell. Blood orange too. Medium-bodied with firm tannins and asphalt. Wonderful length and polish. Long and very precise. Give it time to open and show itself on the palate. Try after 2025.

The 2018 Syrah Californio, aged 15-16 months in 20% new French oak, is fragrant and seamless. Blackcurrants, plums and blueberries are accented by touches of violet, coffee bean, potting soil and cast iron on the nose. The medium-bodied palate is granular and lifted, with ringing violet perfume and a very long, layered finish. It's stunning straight from bottle (and highly drinkable at just 13.9% alcohol), but it offers the concentration and freshness to develop savory complexity in the cellar over the next decade or more. Drink: 2023-2037