Sequel

As to the 2020 Syrah Sequel, this inky hued effort comes from a mix of sites on Red Mountain as well as the Boushey and Bacchus vineyards. Fermented with 30% whole clusters and aged in 65% new French oak, it offers up a powerful bouquet of ripe black fruits, ground pepper, chocolate, and graphite. With full-bodied power and richness, as well as building tannins, it stays light on its feet, has remarkable purity, and a great finish.

The gorgeous 2020 ‘Sequel’ was stored in mainly new French oak barrels (65% new) for 18 months before bottling. Sourced from three separate vineyards in the Columba Valley this is a really nice edition of this wine despite the obvious challenges at harvest. Asphalt and bacon fat mark the nose alongside shades of black olive tapenade and rich figs, as this offers really good aromatic complexity. The palate is plush and dense as silky tannins frame a brilliant core of dark fruits, alongside cocoa nib and espresso ground accents. Complex and delicious, this is a resounding success in 2020. No reason to cellar this beauty.

Inviting aromas of black and blue berries with violets, dark chocolate and spices. Medium to full-bodied. Toned and focused with pure fruit and fine-grained, silky tannins.

This wine is a blend of fruit from Boushey, Red Mountain, and Bacchus vineyards. Aged 18 months in French oak (65% new), the aromas are ripe, with notes of blackberry, bramble, and generous amounts of espresso. Rich, luscious black fruit and coffee flavors follow, mixing fruit and barrel in equal parts. There’s plenty of structure to hang all of the fruit on. An extended finish caps it off. It’s all about hedonism and unabashed richness.

Loads of black fruits, smoked game, liquid violets, and cracked pepper notes emerge from the 2018 Syrah Sequel, which has gorgeous Syrah wildness and gaminess, full-bodied richness, a pure, elegant, seamless texture, ultra-fine tannins, and a great finish. Count me impressed. You could safely put this up with the best Syrah coming out of Washington and California.

The 2018 Sequel Syrah is one of the greatest editions of this wine that I have tasted. The downright soft texture entices as toasty oak wraps around a gorgeous core of crème de violette, mocha, allspice, bull's blood and shades of creosote on the palate. This finishes exceedingly long. A dense and refined Syrah that is only starting to fully hit its stride.

This stunning Syrah is beautiful on the nose with those unique Washington characteristics of smoked meat, boysenberry, black cracked pepper, saline, iron, and bacon fat. You must experience the nose on this wine, it is so intoxicating. Inky and dark purple in the glass, it pops with flavors of blackberry compote, charcuterie, and black olive tapenade. The tannins are still a bit chalky but the high acidity complements it nicely. The long finish is both earthy, meaty, and fruity all at the same time - the best combination. At $60 - are you kidding me? Highly recommended and definitely the best Sequel I have tasted from Long Shadows and one of the best Syrah’s I’ve had in 2018. Highly recommended and Editors Choice.

"Put together by John Duval, the 2017 Sequel (100% Syrah fermented with 30% stems) is a ripe, sexy wine that's in the same ballpark as past vintages. Rocking notes of blackcurrants, blackberries, peppered game, licorice, and subtle chocolate all flow to a powerful, full-bodied Syrah that has good purity of fruit, ripe, chewy tannins, a bid mid-palate, and a great finish."

An instant success, the 2017 Syrah Sequel bounces out of the glass with precision, power and finesse with juicy blackberry reduction and black pepper spices woven into black cherry essence and plum preserves, with hints of dried herbs, baked earth and river rock. Full-bodied, the mouth-coating sensation from this generous fruit tones shows a beautifully balanced Syrah with succulent tones of black and red fruit, black pepper and purple flowers. The wine ends with lifting tannins on the long, immaculate, slightly chewy finish. This is food-friendly and overdelivering at this price. Bravo!

Musky perfume of dark raspberry, black olive, bitter chocolate and brown spices, plus a subtle hint of animal fur. Silky and seamless on entry, then as much red fruits as black in the sweet middle palate, with floral and spice notes adding clarity and lift. This wine will give pleasure early but also last well.

An impressive effort for this 100% Syrah from winemaker John Duval, from the iconic Penfolds Grange fame, the Sequel is his Washington next chapter of winemaking with Syrah but in Washington State. The wine is fermented with ⅓ whole cluster to give a fuller body and is finished by aging 18 months in French oak barrels, with 60% of them being new. It is dark and showy in the glass and aromas of fresh blue fruits, black raspberry, peppered salami and violet flowers form this phenomenal nose. On the palate, you are treated with flavors of blueberry compote, black plum, cigar box, crushed gravel, toasted black peppercorn, black Spanish olive, dried lavender and venison jerky. This wine is complex, gorgeous and absolutely yummy. Highly recommended.

A blend of 93% Syrah and 7% Cabernet Sauvignon, the 2016 Sequel is another ripe, sexy, yet pure and balanced vintage for this cuvée. Lovely blackberry, smoked earth, graphite, and ground pepper all flow to a medium to full-bodied, silky, elegant wine that packs less of a punch than normal, yet is balanced and layered, with a great finish.

This has attractively exotic spices and dark berries, as well as plums and spiced dark chocolate. There's concentrated flavor and a juicy feel to the palate, which makes for engaging drinking now.

Plush and juicy, the 2016 Syrah Sequel has an open core of dense black fruit, subtle savory spices and sweet tobacco on the nose. The wine is inky and compact with some soft black spices and delicate oak notes on the full-bodied palate, but the fruit remains in the center spotlight. Ending with a long, winding finish, the wine offers up parting flavors of lingering spices that unravel with a grippy tannic edge.

Incorporating 7% Cabernet Sauvignon, the 2015 Sequel wasn't destemmed and spent 18 months in 65% new French oak. Its inky purple color is followed by a huge nose of blackberry liqueur, espresso roast, scorched earth, and dark chocolate. A full-bodied, beautiful Syrah that has remarkable freshness and purity, fine tannin, and a great, great finish. It's always a pedal-to-the-metal effort, yet the 2015 stays beautifully fresh and lively on the palate. This is certainly one of the finest vintages to date.

Aromas of blackberries, blueberries and black licorice follow through to the medium to full body. Firm and silky tannins and a checked, fine finish. Drink and enjoy.

The 2015 Sequel unfurls in the glass with notes of sweet cassis and black fruit that mingle with notions of rich grilled meats and toasty oak. On the palate, it's full-bodied, deep and powerful, with a sweet core of fruit and a chewy chassis of fine-grained tannins that are going to require a few years' bottle age.

The 2014 Sequel is a sexy beast of a Syrah (there's a splash of Cabernet Sauvignon in the blend) that was brought up all in small barrels. Deep, inky colored, with a huge nose of black fruits, chocolate, smoked meats and licorice, it's a powerhouse on the palate and gives up full-bodied flavors, ripe, polished tannin and a great finish.

Musky scents of black raspberry, flowers and smoky resiny herbs. Wonderfully sweet, fat, smooth wine with terrific depth to its raspberry and spice flavors lifted by pomegranate and herbs and complicated by leather and animal nuances. (I was reminded of a Cornas from Thierry Allemand.) Not all austere for this bottling -- in fact, this is harmonious from the start. The tannins arrive late and are nicely wrapped in the wine's glyceral fruit. This highly concentrated Syrah has very good aging potential.

The 2013 Sequel Syrah gives up a big, rich, decadent style as well as lots of ripe black fruits, caramelized meats, licorice and wood-smoke like aromas and flavors. In a vintage that too often comes up short on texture and richness, this beauty delivers in spades. It should drink nicely right out of the gate.

Highly aromatic nose offers scents of raspberry, cinnamon, white pepper and olive tapenade. In a juicy, spicy, rather penetrating style; clean and fruit-driven, with a spicy mineral underpinning. Boasts excellent density to its purple fruit flavors and carries impressively on the finish.

Always the most sexy, voluptuous and layered in the Long Shadows portfolio, the 2012 Sequel Syrah (which incorporates 6% Cabernet Sauvignon) offers full-throttle notes of black fruits, barbecue smoke, licorice, ground pepper and assorted Syrah-driven meatiness on the nose. Seeing 25% whole clusters and 18 months in 65% new French oak, it's a ripe, textured Syrah that always stays lively, drinkable and thoroughly enjoyable.

A big bruiser of a Syrah, the 2011 Sequel offers up a full-bodied, decadent and hedonistically styled profile to go with the ample black fruits, chocolate cake, smoke and licorice-like aromas and flavors. Thrillingly textured, with solid mid-palate depth and a blockbuster finish, it is not for the faint of heart, but dishes out loads of pleasure and will drink nicely over the coming decade.

Bright ruby-red. Fresh, varietally complex aromas of blackberry, smoked meat, fresh mint and black pepper. Sweet, juicy and youthfully tight, with a mineral firmness and bright acidity giving a light touch to the intense dark berry and mint flavors. Boasts an exhilarating sugar/acid balance and finishes chewy, saline and long, with substantial dusty tannins and excellent lift. This should evolve gracefully in the bottle.

The best vintage of this cuvee to date, the 2010 Syrah Sequel spent 18 months in 65% new French oak. Inky purple in color, it is decidedly meaty on the nose, with layers of black fruit, smoked meat, pepper and toast all emerging from the glass. Classy and rich on the palate, it dishes out a medium to full-bodied texture, great acidity and a blockbuster finish that keeps you coming back to the glass. Despite the overall richness level, the overall profile here is downright elegant and perfectly balanced; while already delicious, it will evolve gracefully for over a decade.

Editors' Choice. This has the excellent acidity to support the ripe, super-concentrated fruit. Dense raspberry, cherry compote, baking spices, cola and licorice all come into play, with a streak of dried tobacco adding further interest.

Chocolate, mocha and brown spice elements are prominent already in the nose. There is dark berry juiciness along with hints of mint, black pepper and smoky black tea to take this wine in a properly profound direction.

Complex, scented nose combines crushed rock, licorice, blackberry, smoked meat, black pepper and graphite. A bright, intense fruit bomb in the mouth, with dark berry flavors accented by cocoa powder, black pepper, dark chocolate and rosemary. Very clean and primarily Syrah with terrific depth. Finishes with a serious tannic spine for aging and subtle rocky character.

Focused, plush and generous, with pomegranate-accented dark berry and tobacco flavors, striking a nice balance of suppleness, rich flavors and expansion on the finish.

Editor's Choice. Bursting with sweet toast from the barrel aging, this offers ripe and pretty berry fruit, deep and long, with highlights of oolong tea. The alcohol is not intrusive, and the acidity keeps it buoyed and lively.

The 2008 Sequel Syrah contains 2% Cabernet Sauvignon and was made by John Duval, former winemaker of Penfolds Grange. It was aged for 18 months in 65% new French oak and 5% 300-liter American oak barrels. Smoke, game, black tea, incense, blueberry, and blackberry aromas compose the bouquet of this relatively forward, plush, pleasure-bent Syrah.

Cellar Selection. Pungent and spicy, dark and brooding, this wine brings it with deep, sappy berry fruit and overtones of meat and garrigue, all with muscle and verve. Tannins are firm and hard, showing some ripe stem and earth flavors, and plenty of barrel toast. Muscular and warm, this Syrah walks the line perfectly between the Rhone and Barossa.

Ripe and round, delivering a lively mouthful of blueberry, plum, floral, and white pepper flavors that cascade around one another through the long, vivid finish.

Bright ruby-red. Knockout nose combines raspberry, smoked meat, pepper and an ineffable floral quality. Then fat, concentrated and surprisingly dry and classic, with palate-staining flavors of black raspberry, blackberry and pepper. Offers superb breadth with a light touch. This very youthful wine finishes impressively long, with a late note of hard candy.

Aromas of cedar, smoke, game, bacon, and violets are alluring while leading to a round, layered, smooth-textured, full-bodied wine with several years of aging potential.

Bright, full ruby. Sexy, almost liqueur-like aromas of raspberry, graphite, gunflint and rose petal. At once suave and penetrating, with terrific acidity giving shape to the raspberry, blackberry and spice flavors.

Bright and generous, delivering a lively mouthful of blackberry and plum fruit, shaded with hints of pepper and spice, lingering nicely on the beautifully focused finish. This has depth without excess weight, along with the goods to develop long term in the cellar.

Aromas of cedar, smoke, game, bacon, and violets are alluring while leading to a round, layered, smooth-textured, full-bodied wine with several years of aging potential. A hedonistic effort.

Firm in texture, with a crisp feel to the tannins under the ripe, narrowly focused blackberry, plum and black olive flavors. The finish keeps singing as the pretty flavors persist.

Purple / black in color, this superb Syrah offers grilled meat, bacon fat, game and wild blueberry aromas and flavors. On the palate the wine is spicy, layered, and plush with soft tannins and enough acidity to hold things together.

Scented, complex aromas and flavors of dried cranberry, plum, game, chocolate, wild spices and herbs and sexy coconutty oak. A very sophisticated syrah; some of Washington's home-grown winemakers might learn something from this baby.

Smooth and velvety, this is a graceful, beautifully balanced Syrah that shows off its blueberry and plum fruit against shades of white pepper and cedar. The finish keeps welling up with haunting flavors.

Supple, refined style offers layers of cherry, blueberry and hints of pomegranates as the flavors sail on and on. Not a big, hulking Syrah but one of elegance and appealing depth.

Aged in 75% French and 25% American oak, the 2003 Syrah displays a nose of cassis, black raspberry liqueur, and spicy American oak. Jam-packed with black raspberries and blackberries, this medium to full-bodied wine explodes on the palate, displaying copious fruit, gorgeous purity of flavors, and an admirably long finish.