Bottle Notes, Syrah

2011 Force Majeure Syrah Collaboration Series Reserve – Bottle Notes

Force Majeure was founded in 2004 by Paul McBride and made its name pairing some of Washington’s highly acclaimed winemakers with fruit from one of Washington’s highly acclaimed vineyards, Ciel du Cheval. The winery recently transitioned from Collaboration wines to Estate wines. Todd Alexander, formerly of Bryant Family Vineyards, is the winemaker for the Estate Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah and Tempranillo. Force Majeure is building a new winery in Milton Freewater, Oregon and the plan is to open the doors on Cayuse Release next month.

Violet in color. 14.7% ABV. 92% Syrah, 4% Viognier and 4% Roussanne made by Ross Mickel of Ross Andrew Winery. Heady nose of blue fruits, barbecued meats, molten licorice and flowers. Full bodied with loads of acidity. Thick, viscous and mouth coating. Blueberry, boysenberry, cassis liqueur and olive brine on the palate. Exceptional length on the finish. This is a big, luscious wine in every sense. Not for the faint of heart. Best over the next 4-6 years.

My rating: 92 points.

Force Majeure is one of the most exciting wineries in the state. The winery is still accepting names for the mailing list.

I blogged about Force Majeure recently in A Vertical Tasting of Force Majeure CS IV.

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