An impressive value, the 2020 Syrah Descendants Liégeois Dupont starts with dark fruit tones with a ripe and spicy edge before hints of savory herbs and blackberry compote sway with red flowers and a kiss of sweet peppercorns. Medium to full-bodied, it compresses on the palate, showing a beautifully complex and vibrant wine with classic Syrah notes of cured meats, peppercorn spices and potpourri. The Syrah continues to uncoil across the mid-palate, displaying a balanced structure before gliding to a rich, succulent, food-friendly finish. It’s a fantastic wine that delivers pleasure at a great price. The wine rested for 21 months in about 50% new oak, primarily American. Just over 14,000 bottles were made.

Displaying a deep magenta core and a purple edge, the 2017 Syrah Descendants Liégeois Dupont opens with dusty, dark fruit tones that sway with elements of black pepper and roasted herbs. Medium to full-bodied, the Syrah offers a balanced mid-palate with structured tannins and a soft, oaky finish that lingers with elements of toasted vanilla bean. The wine rested for 19 months in 52% new oak—of which 49% was new American oak—with the remainder consisting of mostly neutral French barrels. In years past, I don’t recall the American oak being so prevalent. Just under 14,000 bottles were made.

Opaque with dark ruby tears, the 2015 Syrah Descendants Liégeois Dupont offers a nose full of American oak aromas with vanilla, kettle corn and toasted coconut, then sways toward dark cherry, blackberry and black plum scents, with a dusty minerality and purple resinous flowers. Medium to full-bodied, the palate shows a balanced structure, giving way to blackberry flavors with oak, wet stones and plum blossoms. Ultimately, the wine ends with a long, mineral finish, with lingering flavors of bitter dark chocolate, blackberries and cassis with white peppercorn. 1,900 cases produced.

The modestly priced 2013 Syrah Descendants Liégeois Dupont wafts from the glass with notes of dark fruit, cigar tobacco and subtle grilled meat. On the palate, it's medium-bodied, rich and layered, with a generous core of dark fruit and lots of earthy, savory nuance. Decidedly Old World in personality, it's a delicious wine worth following for the better part of a decade.

Possessing a touch of brettanomyces in its leather, peppery herbs, olive and black fruit-driven personality, the 2012 Descendants Liégeois Dupont Syrah is medium-bodied, nicely balanced and would remain undetected in a lineup of northern Rhone Syrah. Aged 14 months in 30% new French and American oak, it won’t appeal to those looking for straight up fruit, but it has plenty of charm and should drink nicely for 4-5 years.