My Account   |  Check Out

Doyenne Syrah

Rand Sealey
Review of Washington Wines January 2010
www.reviewofwashingtonwines.com
This is a delicious Old World style Syrah. It exhibits a seductive nose of blackberries, blueberries, lavender, violets, sandalwood, tobacco and Provencal herbs. The red/dark fruit flavors dance on the palate and glide over the back, intermixed with minerals, milk chocolate, loamy earth and coffee grounds, followed by a lingering, toasty white pepper, anise and coriander finish. 19/20 points.

Stephen Tanzer's International Wine Cellar NOV/DEC 09
2006 DeLille Estate Syrah Doyenne Yakima Valley
($49; with 2% viognier) Blackberry, smoked meat and sexy floral lift on the very ripe nose. Sweet, pure dark berry flavors are complemented by a tarry nuance and lifted by lavender and brown spices. Sexy and spicy but not at all an oaky style. This very classy syrah finishes with superb cut, fine-grained tannins and excellent length. 93

Robert Parker's Wine Advocate, Closing Date: 10-31-09, Issue 185
2006 Doyenne Syrah Yakima Valley Red J.M. 93 Pts.
The 2006 Syrah contains 2% Viognier, Purple-colored with a brooding bouquet of bacon, pomegranate, lavender and garrigue notes, on the palate the masculine, large-scaled wine is bursting with spicy black fruit and baking spices. Give this intense, lengthy wine 3-4 years of cellaring and drink through 2021.

Wine Enthusiast Magazine, November 2009
Doyenne 2006 Syrah (Yakima Valley)
A sharp, focused mix of wild berry, earth, pencil, stem, leaf, pepper and bitter chocolate, this blends five clones of Syrah from four different vineyards. It’s complex, tight and tannic, with a wonderful array of flavor components just beginning to knit together. - P.G. 92 Pts. 

"Top 100 Washington Wines 2009" , Paul Gregutt, Wine Adviser, November 29, 2009
From Paul Gregutt’s list of the best Washington wines for 2009!
Wine #54: Doyenne 2006 Signature Syrah

Wine Spectator June 15, 2009
90 Pts. Doyenne 2006 Syrah Yakima Valley – This is a beautifully aromatic, yet gets a bit puckery in the mouth, lacing its ripe blackberry and tar flavors with mouth watering acidity. The finish makes it all come together and with a little cellaring it will settle into itself. Best from 2010 through 2014. H.S.

 

Silver - DeLille Doyenne Signature Syrah 2006 Yakima Valley

 

 

90 (+?) Pts Stephen Tanzer's International Wine Cellar Nov/Dec 08 (2005 Vintage) 
Medium ruby-red. Black fruit aromas complicated by nuances of pepper, flowers and black olive. Sweet, sexy and fleshy, with the floral element joined by a note of apricot (from the viognier?). This concentrated syrah offers very good lift and thrust, finishing with nicely ripe tannins and noteworthy persistence. Expressive already but built to reward cellaring.

91 Pts - Robert Parker, Robert Parker's Wine Advocate (2005 Vintage)

The 2005 Syrah Yakima Valley is a beauty. Its dense ruby/purple color is followed by scents of bacon fat, fried lard, meaty blackberries and cassis, pepper, and espresso roast. This full-bodied, rich effort is an impressive example of Yakima Valley Syrah. It should drink well for 6-8 years. This is the Rhone portfolio of the well-known and highly respected Washington state producer, DeLille Cellars.-R.P. June 2008

90 Pts - Jay Miller, Robert Parker's Wine Advocate (2005 Vintage)

The 2005 Syrah was sourced from the Ciel du Cheval and Boushey vineyards. Purple in color, the wine has an alluring nose of cedar, bacon, spice box, tobacco, pepper, and blueberry. Ripe, balanced and lengthy, it will be at its best from 2010 to 2017.-J.M. June 2008

92 Pts. - Harvey Steiman, Wine Spectator (2005 Vintage)

Lithe and polished, this is bursting with cherry, blackberry and spice flavors, which ride elegantly over a layer of fine-grained tannins. The expressive finish persists impressively. Drink now through 2013. 1,600 cases made. – H.S. May 2008

91 Pts - Paul Gregutt, Wine Enthuiast (2005 Vintage)

This is an aromatic, smoky, herbal and ultimately captivating Syrah. Dense, smoky, tarry and herbal, it is a serious effort from a winery that specializes in the grape. The fruit is a juicy mix of wild berries, cassis and black cherry, with substantial tannins that add herbal, green tea flavors. Give it time to smooth out in the glass and notice how the finish runs on and on into a lovely denouement of Provencal herb, black olive and spice. P.G. May 2008

93 Pts. - Jay Miller, Robert Parker's Wine Advocate (2004 Vintage)

The 2004 Syrah was co-fermented with 3% Viognier. It exhibits a bright perfume of meat, bacon, blueberry, leather, and chocolate. This leads to a fruit-dominated wine with gobs of spicy black fruits, well-concealed tannins, and excellent balance. Drink this hedonistic effort over the next 8-10 years.

91 Pts. - Stephen Tanzer, International Wine Cellar (2004 Vintage)

Good red-ruby. Aromatic, slightly high-toned nose offers raspberry, violet, nutty oak and a hint of game. Juicy, lively and perfumed in the mouth, with pomegranate, floral and spice elements giving the wine excellent life. Finishes juicy and persistent, with sweet, fine-grained tannins. A lot more vibrant than the average Washington State syrah, and a worthy successor to the excellent 2003.
www.winaccess.com

94 Pts. - Lisa Minucci’s Spring 2007 Vintrust SOMMselection (2004 Vintage)

This Cote-Rotie-style Washington Syrah has a beautiful dense core of fruit with bright floral aromatics on the nose. Great with grilled lamb encrusted with garlic, thyme and rosemary.
Spring 2007-Sommelier Jesse Rodriguez, Grand del Mar Resort, San Diego, CA

92 Pts. - Harvey Steiman, Wine Spectator (2004 Vintage)

Big and cuddly, with lots of coffee-scented ripe blackberry and plum flavors to balance the toasty, creamy oak. Finishes with a deft balance of elements that lets this sing for a wile. Best from 2009 through 2014. -H.S. May 2007

90 Pts. - Paul Gregutt, Wine Enthusiast (2004 Vintage)

Fragrant, tight, spicy, focused. This is pure cranberry and cherry, underscored by a slightly chalky minerality. There's a great acid base, great concentration and beautifully ripened fruit that captures both the floral elegance and pure fruit power of Washington Syrah. This extremely youthful, tight wine will surely expand and improve over the next few years.

94 pts. - Michael Franz, Wine Review Online (2003 Vintage)

This is a lovely, highly satisfying wine in every respect, from appearance to aroma to flavor and finish. The fruit is ripe and seemingly sweet, with deep flavors that easily counterbalance a notable but well measured dose of spicy oak. Beautifully balanced and completely convincing, this is delicious now and sure to become even more complex and interesting over the next 5-8 years.

92 pts. - Pierre Rovani, Robert Parker's Wine Advocate (2003 Vintage)

Leather, sage, rosemary, and black fruits are found in the nose of the 2003 Doyenne Syrah. Medium to full-bodied, rich, and broad it is a sappy, juicy wine with loads of spicy blackberries and black raspberries. Highly expressive and suave, this wonderfully ripe offering is lush, pure, and long in the finish. Drink it over the next 7 years.

91 pts. - Harvey Steiman, Wine Spectator (2003 Vintage)

Lithe, almost racy, with juicy texture to make the blueberry and plum flavors sing, shaded with hints of white pepper and floral notes as the finish lingers effortlessly. Best from 2008 through 2013.

90 pts. - Paul Gregutt, Wine Enthusiast (2003 Vintage)

Though still a dense, chalky mouthful of wine, the 2003 Doyenne is both more restrained than the over-the-top 2002. Dark streaks of smoke, earth, tar roasted meat and barrel spices dominate; it takes a lot of breathing time to bring out the underlying fruit.

Chosen as one of the 15 "Great Syrahs from Around the World"

Robert M. Parker Jr. & Karen MacNeil (2002 Vintage)

Robert Parker "Great Syrahs from Around the World" seminar held at the Greystone at the Culinary Institute of America, Napa Valley

92+ pts. - Pierre Rovani, Robert Parker's Wine Advocate (2002 Vintage)

The 2002 Doyenne Syrah explodes from the glass with tar, cedar, blackberry and spice scents. Dense, highly concentrated, and powerful, this medium to full bodied effort is jam-packed with chocolateÐcovered blackberries as well as spices. Drink it over the next 6 years.

97 pts. - Darryl Beeson, wineontheweb.com (2002 Vintage)

This must be one of the finest Syrahs produced in America. Production is small and distribution is limited. Don't give up hopes. Both Robert Parker, yes, the wine critic, and Karen MacNeil of the Culinary Institute of America (alarmingly known as the C.I.A.) have identified this as being one of the great Syrahs from around the world. As if you needed an excuse to book travel to Seattle. Find a bottle, nonetheless. Imagine earthy nuances, restrained but forceful fruit. Then there is pepper, spice, leather and a little spice and mint.

90 pts. - Harvey Steiman, Wine Spectator (2002 Vintage)

Muscular, with a range of lovely, violet-scented blackberry, cherry, and plum flavors straining to get past a veil of tannins. Give it time to sort itself out. Best from 2007 through 2012.

92 pts. - Paul Gregutt, Wine Enthusiast (2001 Vintage)

Smooth, supple and ripe, this lovely wine combines power and elegance in one concentrated package. Aromas of berries and jam, white pepper and bacon fat, along with floral notes. Complex and potent.

91 pts. - Robert Parker's Wine Advocate (2001 Vintage)

The 2001 Doyenne is deep, intense and powerful. Chocolate, black cherries, earth, leather and blackberries can be found in its complex personality. Drink this pure, fruit-dominated wine over the next 5-6 years.

91 pts. - Harvey Steiman, Wine Spectator (2001Vintage)

This Woodinville-area winery's Syrah adds a dollop of Viognier, which only emphasizes the blackberry, plum and mocha flavors in a supple, ripe and generous wine. It is nicely balanced with fine acidity and rich flavors that linger effectively on the fine-grained, finely focused finish. Best from 2005-2012.

92 pts. - Harvey Steiman, Wine Spectator (2000 Vintage)

Dense and distinctive for its spicy, peppery black cherry and coffee aromas and flavors, elegantly balanced and beautifully focused to persist on the long, supple finish. Syrah and Viognier. Best from 2004-2010.

90 pts. - Harvey Steiman, Wine Spectator (1999 Vintage)

Ripe and spicy, plump without being heavy, generous with its plum, berry and exotic spice flavors, which echo nicely on the round finish. Syrah and Viognier. Drink now through 2004.