WTN: Riveraindrops keep falling on my head

[David M. Bueker]

• 2014 Riverain Syrah Cardiac Hill Bennett Valley - USA, California, Sonoma County, Bennett Valley (6/10/2025)
  From my late father’s cellar, he picked up several vintages of the Riverain Syrah, and sadly/happily (depending on how you look at it) left almost all the bottles to me.
  
  It had been seven years since I last opened a 2014. I expected the wine to be further along in maturity, but it was still quite fruity. Some earthy/meaty stuff was in the background, and the wine was not as exuberant as several years ago, but still seems like there’s a ton of runway. Black fruit, a little bit of herb, and again just the barest bit of roasted meat. The structure is there, but well integrated. I’ll hold the last bottle for a while, as I prefer a more developed and savory expression of Syrah, and this seems to have good potential to get there.