Winery - Betz Family
* Expert NoteJanuary 12, 2012
Toasty, dense, dark and complex, this is suffused with a complex mix of coffee, earth, butterscotch, cherry and mineral, with an underlayer of game, roasted almond, herb and earth. Still a baby, young and tight, it opens out with decanting, turning silky and supple. The balance is impeccable, and herbal nuances are preserved, despite the 14.7% alcohol.
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Betz Family Syrah - 2006
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* Expert NoteJanuary 12, 2012
Pure Syrah from the oldest planting in the state (at Red Willow). At first the barrel spices, notably cumin, dominate; but with some hours of breathing time a core of brambly fruit, accented with roasted earth, comes into play. An elegant and polished wine, it has the structure to age for at least a half decade longer.
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Betz Family Syrah - 2008
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* Expert NoteJanuary 12, 2012
Among all the new releases from Betz Family, the La Serenne is the least approachable. Almost enigmatic in its reluctance to open, the wine remains stubbornly tight after a full 24 hours of breathing. The nose shows the barrel influences in a range of toast, coffee and mocha scents. Flavors bring black cherry, cassis, hints of black olive and a little brown sugar, but overall the wine seems shortened, almost dumb. At this point, the score is a best guess, and could go even higher as the wine ages.
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Betz Family Syrah - 2008
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* Expert NoteJanuary 12, 2012
This Red Mountain Syrah spent a year in French oak, half new, half once-used. The fruit is wrapped in smoke and coffee, graphite and mineral scents and flavors. Crystal clear and densely packed, this shows none of the funk common in many Washington Syrahs, but an almost claret-like structure and grip. It should age well for a decade or longer.
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Betz Family Syrah - 2008
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* Expert NoteJanuary 12, 2012
Bob Betz continues to refine his Bordeaux blends. This new Clos de Betz is much more forward than the monumental Père de Famille and sports ripe, dark, round, appealing fruit flavors of luscious raspberry and cassis, swathed in beaucoup de barrel. Toasty oak dissolves into polished tannins, finishing with black tea, licorice, smoke and charcoal.
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* Expert NoteJanuary 12, 2012
Tight and precise, with sharply defined edges, this needs hours of breathing time. Dense black fruit, pretty herbal grace notes, supple, slightly grainy tannins. Built for the long term.
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* Expert NoteJanuary 12, 2012
Seductive and complex, the inviting aromas mix incense, blueberries, cassis, licorice and threads of herb and graphite. Flavors are wrapped tightly and unfold gracefully through a long finish. The herbal side of Cabernet is noted without being intrusive. Classic, deep and expressive.
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* Expert NoteJanuary 12, 2012
This new release of Bésoleil is 80% Grenache; 5% Syrah and 15% Mourvèdre. Intensely aromatic, bursting with black cherry, strawberry and raspberry aromas, its luscious palate is replete with black fruits. There are streaks of tree bark, a whiff of smoke and above all intensity of fruit.
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* Expert NoteJanuary 12, 2012
Happily, each new vintage of Bésoleil is a bit larger than the previous year, so more people can taste what a joy this wine is. In 2008 it’s 82% Grenache, 9% Syrah and 9% Mourvèdre. As with all the Betz wines, it is intensely aromatic. The wine glass fairly explodes with scents of grape, plum, raspberry and cherry. In the mouth grace notes offer hints of leaf and fresh herb. Plush and irresistible.
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* Expert NoteJanuary 12, 2012
Spicy, toasty and dense, this 47% Merlot, 30% Cabernet Sauvignon, 13% Cab Franc and 10% Malbec blend is packed with berry and cassis fruits. Young and persistent, it runs through the bright luscious raspberries into a deeper layer of stone and licorice. Beautifully defined, with a panorama of red and black fruits and excellent persistence.
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