Ladd Cellars Syrah Las Madres Vineyard Carneros

The color of this wine is dark and opaque without any bricking and gives no hint to its 20-year-old age. Deccanted for an hour to let it open up. The nose is expressive blackberry and I'm tasting out of a prototype glass from Fontaine for Berserkerday. Okay, this is impressive for its youthfulness, round tannins but still structure balanced with the acidity. Black fruit with a hint of tappenade running throughout the palate. Herbal notes of tarragon sage and parsley. …

Immediately after uncorking, the aromatics are rich and broad, with some gamey notes lingering. The aromatics faded away a bit and then rushed back 30 minutes later. This shows the youth of the wine and I recommend decanting for an hour. Dark fruit liquor aromatics started to come out with a bit of licorice spice. One surprise to me was that olive tapenade aromatics, commonly associated with this Carneros vineyard, were not dominate, and only hardly noticeable. This Syrah is …