2016 Buffalo Hill Syrah
The Flagship - Limited
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Named after the hand carved wooden buffalo that overlooks the Rockpile Vineyard, the aromatics of Buffalo Hill are roasted earth, freshly ground French roasted coffee beans and savory notes with blackberry and black currants that soar from the glass. The palate is almost over the top; incredibly rich, layered and unctuous, but stays focused and fresh. From the black fruits, roasted earth notes, sweet creamy vanilla bean and brooding blackberry, this is one of my favorite Buffalo Hill vintages, reminding me of a mix of the 2005, 2010 and 2013 vintages.
Each bottle signed by Jeff!
65 cases produced. Will age effortlessly in the Cohn Zone: drink now - 2040.
Limit 2
Club Pricing
Rockpile Members Save 25% - $168.75
Iris Members Save 20% - $180.00
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Magic Members Save 10% - $202.50
In 1991, Rod Park and his wife, Cathy converted a dilapidated former sheep ranch into Rockpile Vineyard. This wine comes from the highest and rockiest site at the vineyard, that I just knew had to be planted with Syrah. I had mine set but Rod wanted to leave the grassy and rocky hillside alone. So, in 2002, after many bottles of wine kicked in, I talked him into it, and next thing you know, we are planting Syrah on the top of the hill!
Welcome Buffalo Hill Syrah. The wine name and label was inspired by his hand-carved wooden buffalo which stands as the vineyard's sentinel, watching over and protecting it. Rod was a past Chancellor at University of Colorado Boulder, the buffalo their mascot. Now, the Syrah's icon.
Rockpile is one of the smallest AVA’s in the nation, producing ultra-premium hillside fruit. Power and intensity are the trademark for our flagship wine. No other Syrah in California is like it. It's craggy soil produces some of the most complex and distinctive minerality in all of California.
I started Jeff Cohn Cellars with the help of my mother, Iris. One adorns the label as a tribute to her.
Appellation: Rockpile
Vineyard: Rockpile, sustainably farmed, vines planted in 2002
Planted at 2010-ft. elevation of granite, loam, clay, quartz, it's the heaviest, rockiest, and steepest vineyard at Rockpile. This elevation puts more stress on the vines producing thick-skinned and small berries. The granite adds a mineral backbone to the weight that the clay creates in the wine.
Learn More About Rockpile Vineyard
Vinification: 100% Syrah The fruit is hand-picked then cold-soaked. I gently foot-stomp the fruit of which 30% is whole cluster, the rest is whole berry and de-stemmed. None is crushed. The wine goes through open-top, then 100% Malolactic fermentation and aged 18 months in large-format 100% new French oak barrels.
FedEx Ground:
$.01 12+ 750 mL bottles
$15 1 - 11 750 mL bottles
$15 per magnum
📦 Shipping Alert: We're watching the weather. If below 30° or above 70°, we won't ground ship your wine. We recommend FedEx Priority Overnight® to protect it from extreme temperatures.
99 Jeb Dunnuck — More saturated purple in color, the 2016 Syrah Buffalo Hill comes from the rockiest, steepest block of Syrah in the Rockpile vineyard. Reminding me of a great vintage of La Chappelle with its incredibly rich, powerful, meaty style, it offers profound notes of smoked meats, black raspberries, currants, toasted spice, graphite, and bacon fat. Deep, opulent, full-bodied, and massive on the palate, it has building tannins, as much richness as you could want, and a monster finish. This is straight up magical and will keep for another 15-20 years.
95 Wine Advocate, Erin Brooks — The 2016 Syrah So Serine Rockpile Vineyard is just a baby with loads of youthful fruit—cassis, blueberry and boysenberry jam—with classic layers of cracked peppercorn, bacon fat, cast iron, tapenade and violet plus touches of warm chocolate, toasted coconut and sweet spices. Full-bodied, rich and dense, it explodes in the mouth with gobs of ripe black and blue fruits. It has a firm, ripe, grainy frame and good freshness, finishing very long and chocolaty. This is stunning and should age very well. 102 cases were made. Drink now - 2040.
