2023 The Great Places Syrah - August James

The 2023 Syrah The Great Places August James Stolpman presents an east-facing parcel, including a portion of interconnected plantings layered via "provignage" from a single mother vine established in 2013. As with the Otto Reynard bottling, the pre-clonal material originates from Domaine Auguste Clape's holdings in Reynard. It is among the more full-throttle and enveloping of the range, slowly emerging from the glass with a black and blue fruited bouquet laden with an iron-tinged core and gamey, blood sauce accents and a smoldering, roasted undercurrent. The palate is extraordinarily inky and rich yet supremely even-keeled, floating on the palate with a sense of buoyancy that belies its monstrous density and impactful nature. It concludes with a stunningly long, resonant finish, propelled by invigorating yet measured acidity and velvety tannins, which linger with a perfumed, floral quality that carries over to the bouquet after aeration. This is so good already that I can understand the temptation to pull corks, but I am quite certain holding off will pay dividends. 

- Matthew Luczy (11/2025)