JS96 JamesSuckling.com Friday, February 14, 2020
"What a wonderful red with blackberry, clove, dried-meat and tea aromas. Full-bodied, really fine and polished. It caresses your palate. Chocolate, tiramisu and hints of sandalwood. Intensely flavorful. Super syrah. Drink or hold." (96 pts.)
RP98+ Robert Parker’s The Wine Advocate 31st Oct 2019
"Very deep garnet-purple in color, the 2017 IX Syrah Estate opens with the most beautiful nose of crushed black berries, boysenberries, mulberries, chocolate-covered cherries, star anise and red roses with touches of garrigue, mandarin peel and fragrant earth. Medium-bodied, the palate is very firm and elegant with approachably ripe, rounded tannins and layer upon layer of perfumed flavors. It has a long pepper and spice-laced finish. Very impressive!" (98+ pts.)
JD99 Jeb Dunnuck January 31, 2020
"Lastly, and all destemmed aged 18 months in roughly 70% new French oak, the 2017 Syrah IX Estate needs to be tasted to be believed. It’s hard to understand how this incredible wine was produced in a vintage like 2017. Revealing a deep purple color as well as a monster bouquet of blackberries, orange blossom, smoked meat, bacon fat, and spring flower, it’s deep, full-bodied, and beautifully pure on the palate, with silky tannins and a singular, exotic character. It’s not easy to find, but unquestionably worth the effort! (Jeb Dunnuck)" (99 pts.)
VN96 Vinous Jan 2020
"The 2017 Syrah IX Estate is rich and ample on the palate, with tremendous aromatic and flavor intensity. Savory herb, iron, mint, licorice, blood orange and exotic spice infuse the 2017 with tons of character as well as nuance. Inky and sumptuous, with plenty of structural depth, the 2017 hits all the right notes. Like all of the 2017s here, the Syrah needs cellaring. It is such a gorgeous wine." (96 pts.)