Rasa Vineyards Doctrina Perpetua Syrah 09

Review:

I watched "The Empire Strikes Back" last night and this Syrah is pure Darth Vader - this is the dark side of the force! Intense black berry and violet, with cherry highlights. A little more savory, a little more tannic. Give in to the dark side! - Marcus

2009 Tanzer - 94 points - Good deep red-ruby. The slightly high-toned nose offers darker notes than the Occam's Razor and QED: blackberry, raspberry, licorice, rose petal and dried herbs. Dense, sweet and pretty, with a lovely light, floral touch for a syrah with such chocolaty richness. The floral quality carries through on the very long finish, which features a suave, layered texture and noble tannins. Superb Syrah. - J.R.

2009 Wine Spectator - 93 points - Tightly wound, focused and deftly balanced, brimming with blackberry and dark plum fruit, veering toward black pepper on the generous finish. Drink now through 2019. - H.S.

179 cases made.

A colossus of a wine that manages to retain a strong sense of finesse and elegance (think Lee Haney, 8 time Mr. Olympia, in an Armani tuxedo and you get the idea). Deep, opaque purple in color. The bouquet offers cassis, blueberry, black raspberry, earth, truffle, vanilla, and violet. Very full-bodied and highly intense focused flavors. The tannins are substantial yet silky. On the palate there are notes of cassis, mint, blueberry, black raspberry, coffee, dark chocolate, vanilla, minerals, and earth. The resonant, silky finish is delicious and seemingly endless. Properly cellared this wine will hit maturity in 8-10 years and will easily hold for another 10 years after that.

The 2009 Doctrina Perpetua is a single vineyard Syrah. The fruit comes from one of the best sites in Columbia Valley – Bacchus Vineyard.

Doctrina Perpetua means “Forever Learning.” Every vintage is a learning experience and you need to pay attention to what the vines are telling you. This was our first vintage working with this fruit and we really listened not only the vines but also to the vineyard manager Derek Way and General Manager Kent Waliser. Derek and Kent have been instrumental in giving us an understanding of their vineyards and the specific blocks from which we get fruit. And listening and being open-minded paid off. This wine is a beauty.

This inaugural version of Doctrina Perpetua celebrates Michel de Montaigne - philosopher, essayist, skepticist, humanist, and one of the most important writers during the Renaissance. - the winery