2010 Crossfork Creek Dark Matter, Yakima Valley RP--89

Robert Parker: 89 Points
eRobertParker.com #204 Mar 2013 David Schildknecht 89 Drink: N/A (120) Greer's appropriately named 2010 Dark Matter (not that this wouldn't fit many of his wines) is a pure Syrah, half of which sojourned in new American and Hungarian oak and the rest in once-used French barriques. The nose here is as redolent of maple syrup from caramelized resin as it is of any fruit-specific, much less Syrah-specific traits, though on a plush, viscous, and expansive if tannin-saturated palate, where implosively concentrated, mint- and sage-infused cassis and cherry take on gamey and red meat adjuncts associated with the great grape of the Northern Rhone. Finishing tenaciously with intense tannin, this is a wine that appears to demand some years in bottle, but of course has no track record. Surely it would have benefited from a bit less overt oak influence, though as Greer points out, once he decided to experiment with American and Hungarian oak for his Crossfork Creek project, he was compelled to buy new barrels, but future vintages will also utilize some once-used barrels with those provenances.