TN: 2001 Edmunds St. John Syrah (USA, California)

2001 Edmunds St. John Syrah - USA, California (6/21/2017)
Library release bottle that showed everything I could have hoped for. Aromas of leather, grilled meat, and spices , supported by a touch of kirsch-like deep cherry fruit kept me going back for another sniff. I think it was ten minutes before I actually tasted the wine. Resolved tannins, smooth palate presence and a finishing kick of acid to clean everything up placed this bottle in the (very rare) fully mature ESJ camp for me. It kept right up at a steady pace for the three hours I was able to follow it. The fruit deepened just a bit, but it remained mostly focused on the evolved meat, leather and spice elements. It ended up as a fabulous accompaniment to my dinner of home made masoor dal with home made roti.

Posted from CellarTracker

This is not the Wylie-Fenaughty bottling, I take it. I ask because I have some of those stashed away and I haven’t checked in on that wine in a while.

Nope. This is the general California bottling. I would suspect, given top showings of the 2001 Bassetti in recent months, that the W-F is ready to investigate.

Actually, it turns out I did open a bottle of the 01 W-F two years ago with Jay Miller and others and it was showing beautifully. I guess that was a spur of the moment choice. I’d forgotten.

If it didn’t smell of buddleia why would you remember it?

Jay Miller is my main association with ESJ Syrah. I always found it funny that he would drink California Syrah…until I tasted it. Then, I understood why he would like it. Me, not so much, but different strokes and all that.