Reviews & Ratings

2012 Donelan Syrah & Shiraz (Other than French) "Obsidian Vineyard"

Winery: Donelan

Vintage: 2012

Wine Name/Vineyard: "Obsidian Vineyard"

Wine Category: Syrah & Shiraz (Other than French)

Grape blend: 100% Syrah

Bottle size: 750 ml

Region: Knights Valley

State or country: CA

Price: $105

Cases produced: 320

KWG Score: 94.6 (based on 3 reviews)

Ken's Wine Rating: Very Good+ (93)

Review date: February 10, 2015

Wine Review: This midnight blue colored Syrah from the Knight’s Valley opens with smoky black raspberry bouquet. On the palate, this wine is full bodied, balanced, rich and smooth. The flavor profile is a rustic mineral infused mild blackberry with notes of beef jerky, dark chocolate and black licorice. I also detected a hint of black plum and faint cedar towards the back palate. It’s a pretty complex wine that gets even better with aeration. The finish is dry and its moderate dusty tannins and flavors linger nicely and fade away. This Syrah is Old World styled and food friendly. I would pair it with marinated steak tips. Enjoy - Ken

Winemaker Notes: Perched high above Knights Valley, Obsidian Vineyard is bathed in terroir. The vines experience severe stress, pushing the roots ever deeper through rock in search of water, producing miniature clusters of intense power. Given the wine’s natural propensity for tannin, we take extreme care in the cellar to whittle its rough edges and leave room for richness to flatter its distinctive scaffold. The mid-palate supports flavors of roasted coffee bean, sarsaparilla and dark chocolate. The finish marches on long after most wines have tired.

Buy it: Use 1000 Corks to find stores that sell Donelan 2012 Obsidian Syrah.