I stand corrected, partly. I was probably recalling the 83, which I once owned.
The shift in the cepage over the years was always a bit puzzling.
2 Likes
This year he making a Jemrose Vyd Syrah!
3 Likes
Yes. Outstanding. I love Syrah from Paso. Have yet to find a cab I like a lot from them however.
2 Likes
My wife does not like red wine hence the reason I even started day 2/3. Don’t need to drink a whole bottle on a Monday night. Syrah will drink better almost all the time on day 2 and 3 if it is 10 years from vintage. Just store it in a dark place or a cellar.
3 Likes
::Plus 1 emoji::
Syrah is a big portion of my cellar but I rarely drink anything alone. My poor Syrah just sits and ages. These days I buy sparingly because of just that.
1 Like
Most of the wine i consume, i consume on my own over 2-3 days. Syrah works very well in this case indeed 
2 Likes
Yes, Syrah holds up to oxygen exposure pretty well (sometimes needs it).
-Al
2 Likes
I agree. Syrah is my #1 wine.
Mostly from Santa Barbara, I think it does exceptionally well there.
I have had a few CR and would like to explore it more but damn the price.
1 Like
That’s the best reason to open several bottles, make each last longer.
Here is a good example of that.
-
2017 K Vintners Syrah The Deal Sundance Vineyard - USA, Washington, Columbia Valley, Wahluke Slope (10/15/2022)
Day 1: No review.
Day 2: This is not even close to the experience this past summer, but I also had a 94-point Kevin White and 96 Reynvaan early in the week. A bit tight featuring black pepper, earth, mild spices and blue currants. Medium finish. Nothing wrong with the wine but just lacks complexity. 90 points
Day 3: Why you never give up on a wine. This offers green olives, white pepper, earth, blue currants, dust, spice and tar. Medium plus and concentrated. Amazing the evolution of wine over time and again why I doubt the accuracy of wine critics when they do their pop and pours. This tasted nothing like this on day 1 hence the no score. 93 points
Recommendation: Hold until 2025 or later. (93 points)
Glad so many people like Syrah, I, however, have unfortunately never found it overly interesting. I certainly have some but virtually never reach for them.
Older Cote Rotie and Hermitage do hit the sweet spot, but are too expensive.
I have a few AU Shiraz that I like. Not the heavy handed versions, but ones with a nice mix of fruit and herbs, eucalyptus is an extra plus.
Rhys makes some really good ones, down to one now I think. But my feeling is that they need 10-20 years before becoming civilized. 2012 Skyline last Jan definitely needed more time and this was after a double decant 12 hours in advance. It was however clear that this really is an outstanding wine. Complex and concentrated while still being elegant.
Last week I opened a 2016 Model Farm, which is fairly low alc at 12.7. Unfortunately this exhibited the qualities I’m not so fond of. The first sips are nice, but the wine seems to shut down pretty quickly and becomes monolithic. Maybe it needs time, but it is hard to tell.
2 Likes
I’ve forgotten about Model Farm - they make excellent wines. Thanks fro reminding me.
BTW Peter, I think I owe you a bottle of wine, still.
1 Like
Had the 2020 Sandlands Syrah Santa Barbara County yesterday (mainly Bien Nacido) and it was excellent. Beautiful light Syrah at 12%-ish, but without being highly strung like some acid driven Syrah’s can be - just super elegant and whispers to you. Very nice and a killer QPR.
4 Likes
Price?
1 Like
$35ish when it came out
1 Like
Like others I don’t reach for it all that often, since, somehow, for me, there is no middle ground. Either it’s really good–often Cornas, Cote Rotie, some Aussie and Cali–or its completely uninteresting and I regret having opened ir. This is not the case with Burgundy/Pinot or Bordeaux/Cab or even most Italian and really never with Portugal or Spain. Obviously, this has something to do with which producers I own, but given that it’s consistent across a range I believe that it reflects on the grape.
Time for you to try the Syrah’s of Walla Walla.
1 Like
Interesting!
1 Like
2017 Cayuse syrah En Cerise opened last night was tight as heck. It was interesting on the nose but that nose is not what it will be in the future based on past evolution of this and similar wines. On the palate it was stern and unforgiving. After four hours it opened up somewhat and I could find some pleasure in this wine because I love the style and the producer’s wines, and the bottle was finished, but this is just not ready. It shows all the signs of being a great wine in the future, just not now.
2 Likes