Icon Wines: Review of 2011 Syrah Cuvee Violette

This well priced wine, with an eye on the restaurant by-the-glass market, validates the Black Sage Bench winery’s continued experimentation with Syrah. Gone is the costly 18-month, new French oak program, this release focuses more on the aromatic qualities of the Rhone Valley grape, hence the name, and less on highly extracted tannins and fullness. The palate has been left quite light with a good balance of fruit, pepper and herbaceous flavours, while the nose successfully expresses the lovely, feminine, floral aromas achievable by Syrah.

This approach may ultimately be more of a reflection of the cooler vintage which didn’t lend itself to the super-ripe and extracted style of Syrah, but whatever the future holds for this sku, I’m happy to see it as a new edition to the LVP portfolio, at least for now. Drink 2013-2016+.