2012 Dehlinger "Frei Road" Russian River Valley Syrah

The 2012 Syrah Frei Road Vineyard is the ripest and most exuberant of the three Dehlinger Syrahs. The flavors are dark and intense to the core. Tar, smoke, licorice and black fruit flow through to the huge, voluptuous finish. Stylistically, the Frei Road is quite different from the other Syrahs in the range, much of which can be attributed to the farming, which is done by the Martinelli family. After 2014, Dehlinger discontinued the Frei Road, which does seem to make sense, as the wine is a bit of an outlier in this range, despite its obvious beauty. When I think of the Russian River Valley and its reference-point producers, Dehlinger is always top of mind. Eva Dehlinger is back from a year of studying viticulture in Burgundy. My sense is that she has the ambition to take quality through the roof at her family's winery... The Pinots and Syrahs are made with fully destemmed fruit and reflect a very classic sense of Russian River exuberance. (AG)