[ryvl video_url=”https://vimeo.com/229259265″ auto_play=”yes”][/ryvl]The 2014 Richards Family Vineyard Syrah is a classic bottle from this site. The 2014 Donelan Syrah program was marked by wines of great minerality and aromas of exotic spice – the Richards exemplifies this more than any Syrah from the vintage. Showing its true colors early on, the 2014 shared a similar elevage as the historic 2009 bottling, and we aged it for a mere 22 months in barrel.

Fermented with 80% whole cluster in approximately 40% new French oak, the 2014 is a hedonistic wine that is aromatically mysterious and alluring – a trademark for the vineyard. Flavors on the nose stretch from black currants and truffles to foie gras and grilled lamb. The herbs and spice on the nose are bundled together much like the bouquet-garni in your favorite stew – wafting from the glass hours after being poured.

To fully appreciate this wine, commit to a long evening in which you revisit it with different courses. As the occasion wears on, it will start to reveal its potential. This wine’s life, like previous vintages of Richards, will be measured not in years but in decades.