How can you call yourself a wine geek unless you serve up three sequential magnums of the same wine to impress your wine geek friends? Anything short of that and you might as well buy two-buck-and-a-half Chuck, or Mexican Cabernet Sauvignon if you live in Tuscany. Oh yeah, and free ground shipping!
Halcon Vineyards
A vertical of 2009, 2010, 2011 Halcon Alturas magnums. $165, free ground shipping. 12 available.
2010 Alturas at the pre-release price - $30/btl for 3-5, $25/btl for 6-11, $20/btl for 12+, free ground shipping.
Easiest purchase all day. The 09 Alturas was my favorite BerserkerDay discovery last year and at $20/btl on case buys, probably my QPR of the year. I bought the 2011 Prado & Esquisto too with the pre-release letter on the Halcon site though they’re not mentioned in the offer. This should age like a gem, even more so in magnum.
Here are the latest Alturas reviews from Jeb at TheRhoneReport:
"Showing beautifully from barrel, and now from bottle, the 2010 Halcon Vineyards Syrah Alturas is a beautiful Syrah that readers should not miss. Made from 100% Syrah (harvest on October 22nd) that was aged in a scant 30% new French oak, it possesses a deep ruby/purple, semi-opaque color to go with classic Syrah aromas and flavors of blackberry styled fruits, chalky minerality, spice, sappy herbs, and hints of violet. Very classy and pure on the palate, with a medium to full-bodied texture, integrated acidity, ripe tannin, and an overall fresh, poised feel, it needs a solid decant if drinking anytime soon, and will shine for over a decade. I think it will be even better in another year or two. 93+
Tasted from barrel and even more lively and cool-climate in feel, the 2011 Halcon Vineyards Syrah Alturas (100% Syrah, from incredibly low yields, that was aged in 20% new French oak puncheons) smells and tastes like a young, top-notch Côte-Rôtie. It offers up perfumed aromas of raspberry, flowers, liquid mineral, cracked pepper, and sautéed bacon to go with a medium-bodied, elegant, gorgeously pure palate. It does not have the weight of the ’10, yet makes up for it with its sheer balance, polish, and harmony. Ripe, silky tannin emerges on the finish, and while it should be reasonably approachable on release, will benefit from short term cellaring, and have upwards of a decade of total longevity. It is impressive and readers need to get on this estate’s bandwagon! 91-94"
