Owen Roe Red Willow Chapel Block Syrah 09
How do you follow up a 97 point wine? (Open Chapel Block 09, pour, sniff, taste.) That's how! Like the 08, this is pretty tight upon release and really struts on day two. Exotic black cherry, plum, and the tiniest ribbon of mountain strawberry meshes with smoke and violets. Silky and supple, powerful and vibrantly fresh. Considerably more limited than the 2008, with a little over 100 cases made. And it tastes great with a grilled burger topped with 8 year aged Hook's Cheddar, by the way… - Marcus
Wine Spectator - 93 points - Dense and juicy, with lots of ripe flavors balancing against lively acidity, making the licorice-accented blackberry, boysenberry and dark plum notes pop. The finish lingers effectively, hinting at mineral character. Best from 2013 through 2018. - H.S.
Follow up to David's first vintage of this wine, which received a 97 point score from Wine Spectator. Much more limited than last year - tiny production.
A tiny stone chapel at the top of a dusty hill in central Washington marks the source of the famous Owen Roe Chapel Block Syrah. Positively antique, the few grapes harvested each year from these old vines are prized for their intense flavors. A wine for the serious Syrah lover.
Only 100 cases made
2008 Vintage Tasting Notes
Wine Spectator 97 Points!!!
We sent this wine to our Wine Club
several months ago - if you were a member,
you'd already have some!
Intense and mouth-filling. Peppered bacon, black fruits, crushed violets, vanilla bean and five spice stain your tongue while they caress it. Even with its viscous, fleshy nature, the Chapel Block retains freshness and finishes with integrated tannins. - Marcus
This is the famous first vintage of Owen Roe's Red Willow Chapel Block Syrah. Outside of the winery, we are the only source for this wine, and it sells out within a few days of its release.
Wine Spectator - 97 points - Warm, inviting and impressive for the purity of its plum, blackberry, and currant fruit, sailing easily over a bed of fine tannins, finishing silky and seamless, with hints of espresso and violet. This has extraordinary balance and finesse without sacrificing an ounce of power. Drink now through 2016. From Washington. - H.S.
Super-limited: only 360 cases made.
From the winery: Red Willow Vineyard has emerged as one of the premier sites for Syrah in the Pacific NW and our new 2008 Red Willow Chapel Block Syrah is an expression of this very special place. Most of the soil in Yakima Valley was formed 12,000 years ago by the Lake Missoula floods, which occurred at the end of the ice age. Due to Red Willow's higher elevation, 1200-1300 ft, the peninsula vineyard was above the water and thus not affected by the glacial deposits. As a result, Red Willow soils are more shallow and ancient than those of lower elevations. This forces vines planted here to produce especially low yields of densely concentrated fruit with very unique flavor profiles; some of the best Syrah we've ever seen. This wine is bold and complex with inky colors, fragrant aromas of lavender with blueberry notes, cedar smoke and a hint of vanilla and licorice on the finish.
