2011 Sleight of Hand Syrah The Funkadelic- USA, Washington, Columbia Valley (10/3/2018)
Dark ruby with nose of ripe cherries and mushrooms. Bold fruit with some nice acid for balance, light on the tannins which are well integrated, giving a soft, velvety mouthfeel. Most of Trey’s wines I have consumed were from the Basel days which I found very enjoyable when starting to explore the region. They were bought at steep discount and very good value. This one is way above my regular price range and my palate is more on the AFWE scale now. This being a cool vintage, the fit works well with sufficient acid and restraint for my palate. With a bit of air, tertiary flavors are starting to emerge all to the good. Starting to get some damp earth and leather notes. (92 pts.)
Opened celebrating daughter’s b-day 1500 mi away. She was drinking a recent vintage Sleight of Hand Sorceress grenache in Seattle.
Me:
2010 Sleight of Hand Syrah the Funkadelic
Out of the gate huge nose of WW rocks funk, blood/dust/iron/soy/sage, unmistakable. Seemed initially a great flavor bridge to the pickled cabbage adorning my sandwich. Initial concerns about a dearth of fruit to match the savory character were ameliorated remarkably quickly as fruit just blossomed. And blossomed. Got better and better over several hours and achieved a stunning balance and intensity. Wow, what a wine, if you like this genre. Somewhere between excellent and stunning. 4+ (out of 5).