2011 Syrah

2011 Syrah

The best Syrahs are those that evolve in the glass, exhibiting waves of complex aromas and flavors as one gets acquainted with them over an hour or more. This wine is all that and more. Plum, blueberry, rhubarb, bacon, sweet black raspberry, white pepper, Alsatian spices, wild thyme and smoky embers are some of the intriguing flavors that lurk within this blue-black wine. On the palate, there is no shortage of intensity, with a texture that builds from an up-front silkiness into a weighty mid-palate and finishes with a lingering full body. Our 2011 Syrah yielded just 1.75 tons per acre, which explains both the wine's impressive concentration, as well as its limited production.

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Appellation: Sonoma County
Vintage: 2011
Harvest: October 2011
Fermentation: Stainless Steel
Cooperage: 100% Neutral Oak
Blend: 98% Syrah
2% Viognier
Alcohol: 14.2%
Bottling: March 2013
Production: 592 cases
Release Date: May 2013
Release Price: $60.00

Reviews

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  • Vinous: November 2013 - Rating: 92

    Pride's 2011 Syrah is huge. Black cherry, plum, mocha, spice and tobacco notes burst from the glass in an intense, full-bodied Syrah loaded with mountain character. Smoke, tobacco and a host of earthier, gamier notes develop in the glass, but the 2011 remains distinctly big and fruit-driven in style. The 2011 is not a wine for the timid. I would love to taste it again in another few years, but it is already pretty special. The 2011 saw a dollop of Viognier (3%) and was aged in neutral oak.

  • The Wine Advocate: October 2013 - Rating: 91

    Readers looking for more melted asphalt, barbecue smoke, roasted meat and blackberry fruit characteristics should check out the gorgeous 2011 Syrah. Composed of 98% Syrah and 2% Viognier, and aged 16 months in neutral French oak, this is a lusty, dense, surprisingly intense, fruit bomb style of Syrah that is already complex and seemingly close to full maturity. It should provide sumptuous drinking over the next 3-4 years. As always, this winery situated at the crest of Spring Mountain on both sides of the Napa/Sonoma counties boundary, has turned out a portfolio of interesting as well as satisfying wines. Amazingly, Pride Mountain Vineyards now owns over 85 acres at high elevation sites spread over the top of Spring Mountain. Pride Mountain’s two flagship offerings are much more limited in availability, with only 569 cases of the 2010 Claret Reserve and 1,365 cases of the 2010 Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve.

  • California Grapevine: September, 2013 - Rating: 91

    Medium-dark purplish ruby color; attractive, forward, intense, smoky, plummy, peppery, spicy, blueberry and blackberry fruit aroma with herbal notes; full body; forward, rich, fleshy, concentrated, dark berry fruit flavors with good depth and firm acidity; full tannin; lingering aftertaste. Shows enticing rich fruit though best to bottle age for a few more years. Very highly recommended.