
- 95
- Organic
2023 Cobaw Ridge Pyrenees Syrah
The inaugural release of Cobaw Ridge's "Negociant Wines" is sourced from M. Chapoutier's certified organic vineyards in the Pyrenees. These vineyards are cultivated with skill and care, fitting seamlessly with Cobaw Ridge's vision and objectives of honest wines produced from Organic Fruit. Crafted from fruit harvested from the outstanding "Landsborough" vineyard, this Syrah reflects the distinct qualities of the mudstone, quartz, and shale soil, which are wonderfully expressed in the wine. The grapes are delicately destemmed to small open vats for fermentation where the must is pumped over and gently hand plunged until dry. After basket pressing, the wine is matured for 12 months in a mix of 25% new French oak and old, small oak barrels, and then bottled with a minimal addition of sulphur.
Alc. 13.5%
Other Reviews....
From the Chapoutier organic vineyard in Pyrenees. This off-site exploration for Cobaw Ridge a worthy project diversifying the interest in that wonderful estate and winery. It sort of suggests that things are good for sales of the estate wines and that this is interesting gravy – a good thing in an industry where woe is often a byword. The wines of course made with same care, attention, vessels and concern as per the estate wines. There is 25% new French oak employed here, though you couldn’t tell.
It’s one of those somewhat lighter weight wines yet distinguished by savoury, game meat characters and distinct crushed-rock minerality. It soars with perfume, dark fruited, stony, herbal, meaty, the palate an echo of this with streaks of pulverised pumice tannin and gently sweet fruit tempered by alpine herb and lavish black pepper. It’s a serious syrah, yet has refreshment factor and lift too. It has an edge, a cockeye and hip thrust, it is the wink of Alan Cooper and the laugh of Nelly Cooper and wholly Cobaw in derring-do and distinction. It invokes difference and charisma and charm. I’m so in. Drink 2024 - 2032.
95 Points
Mike Bennie - The Wine Front