Passel Estate Lot 71 Reserve Syrah 2018

I expected his would be a cracker from this vintage and it hasn’t disappointed. It is clearly the best of these Passel Syrahs yet released and, like for the Cabernet, the extra year in bottle has helped immeasurably. Has a spicy dark cherry and light plummy character with a light dollop of dark chocolate with a superb mouthfeel. Smoothly constructed with whole bunch fermentation and 16 months in large format French oak of which about a third was new, so the oak doesn’t dominate but plays a significant role.