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2019 Betz Family Winery Domaine de Pierres Syrah

Removed from a professional wine storage facility; Purchased from a private collector; Consignor is second owner

Ends Sunday, 7pm Pacific

RATINGS

95Vinous / IWC

...cigar ash, green olive, white pepper, charcuterie and exotic spices. The palate is fresh and vibrant with a silky mouthfeel. Layers of Yakima cherry and red currants mingle with smoked meats, black olive and a dusting of white pepper. This is very refined stuff that is complex yet light on its feet. The flavor and aromatic range here is really great, as is the long finish.

95James Suckling

A really attractive nose of red cherry, fig, sap, tobacco leaf and ground baking spice. Full-bodied with gentle tannins. Vibrant and spicy on the palate with lovely complexity. White pepper, clove, paprika, cardamom and rooibos. Juicy red fruit and steely minerality. A delight.

95Jeb Dunnuck

Lots of blue fruits, iron, lavender, and violet notes, as well as freshly cracked pepper...seamless, medium to full-bodied, pure, incredibly elegant Syrah from this great estate...has ripe, polished tannins, remarkable purity...

95Owen Bargreen

...shows cigar ash, green olive, white pepper, charcuterie and exotic spices. The palate is fresh and vibrant with a silky sense of mouthfeel. Layers of Yakima cherry and red currants mingle with smoked meats, black olive and a dusting of white pepper. This is very refined stuff that is complex yet very light on its feet. The flavor and aromatic range here is really great, as is the long finish.

94-96The Wine Advocate

...floral and lifted expression on the nose. Medium to full-bodied, the Syrah displays exotic dark fruit flavors with a firm, spicy and mineral essence...palate is balanced, delineated and expressive, ending with a fine, tannic finish with lasting flavors of spiced black raspberry compote, umami and baked earth.

93Wine Enthusiast

...notes of peat, firepit, potpourri, raspberry and herb. The flavors are well-delineated, plump and mouthwatering.

PRODUCER

Betz Family Winery

Betz Family Winery was founded in Woodinville, Washington, in 1997, by Bob and Cathy Betz. In the early 1970s the then young couple traveled through Europe’s great wine regions working in wineries and vineyards. In 1975 Bob started working at Chateau St. Michelle, where he eventually became Vice President of Winemaking Research. But he and his wife wanted their own winery, so they began sourcing grapes from Washington’s best appellations. Betz Family Winery specializes in Syrah and Rhone style wines, though it also produces Cabernet Sauvignon and Bordeaux blends. Robert M. Parker Jr. has written that Bob Betz “makes some of Washington’s best Syrah…”

REGION

United States, Washington, Walla Walla Valley

Walla Walla Valley AVA likes to call itself the Napa Valley of Washington, and given the concentration of well-reviewed wineries in the appellation, the comparison is understandable. The Walla Walla appellation is comprised of 340,000 acres, of which 1,200 acres are vineyards. Walla Walla is located in the southeastern corner of Washington and it extends slightly into northeastern Oregon. It is named after the Walla Walla River Valley, and the city of Walla Walla is the commercial center of Washington’s wine industry. The city was founded in the 1840s by the Hudson’s Bay Company as a trading post, but as early as the 1850s farmers were planting grapes for winemaking. Prohibition shuttered winemaking in the early 20th century, but a winemaking renaissance started in the 1970s when Leonetti Cellars, still one of the state’s most acclaimed wineries, started producing acclaimed Cabernet Sauvignon. Walla Walla’s AVA status was awarded in 1984 and today there are more than 100 wineries. Cabernet Sauvignon is the most frequently planted grape, followed by Merlot, Syrah, Cabernet Franc, Sangiovese Chardonnay and Viognier.

TYPE

Red Wine, Syrah (Shiraz)

This grape is grown in milder climates and produces a medium-to full-bodied wine. It is also known as Shiraz, but should not be confused with Petit Sirah, which was developed by crossing Syrah with Peloursin.

VINTAGE

2019 Betz Family Winery Domaine de Pierres Syrah