Syrah
from around the world
A blind tasting of 10 high-end Syrahs from anywhere but the Rhône
This was an
interesting tasting that formed part of the Hawkes Bay Syrah
Symposium. The wines had been chosen by leading UK wine journalist
Tim Atkin, and were served single blind: we knew which wines were in
the line-up, but not the presentation order.
It’s always
fun to taste this way because you learn more both about the wines,
and also your own palate. It’s good to revisit once the identities
are known, though, because knowing what a wine is can help you
understand it better.
Notes are
written as tasted blind with minimal later editing just for grammar
and style.
THE WINES
Gramercy
Cellars ‘John Lewis’ Syrah 2006 Walla Walla Valley, Washington
State
Fresh nose with nice meaty notes. Quite elegant with good
definition and a hint of sappiness. Lovely weight on the palate,
which shows pure fruit, some elegance, and good balance. Plum and
black cherry fruit with some meatiness. Cool-climate character.
94/100
Collezione de Marchi Syrah Toscana 2006 Italy
Some coffee-like oak evident on the nose. Rich, spicy fruit with
some earthy notes, and a strongly savoury streak. Firm tannins and a
drying finish. Dense, grippy and full. 91/100
Quinta do
Monte d’Oiro Reserva 2006 Estremadura, Portugal
Savoury, earthy and dense with warm, plumy, spicy fruit. A
little baked and savoury, but otherwise nicely balanced. A warm
style. 90/100
Boekenhoutskloof
Syrah 2007 Wellington, South Africa
Nicely restrained nose. Lovely palate with good green character,
notes of meat and olives and savoury structure. Cherries and plums.
Expressive and complex, with lovely savoury character. 93/100
Man
O’War Dreadnought Syrah 2008 Waiheke Island, New Zealand
Lovely intense, peppery nose. Very fresh. Pure dark fruits nose
with some meatiness and lobvely peppery red fruit character on the
palate. Expressive and elegant, this is a beautiful wine. 95/100
Saintsbury
Rodgers Creek Syrah 2007 Carneros, Napa, California
Very fresh, pure and vivid, this reminds me of a new world Pinot
Noir. It’s so expressive with lovely pepper, plum and cherry
fruit, supported by good structure. Nicely dense with amazing
freshness, purity and presence. Nice savoury personality with just a
hint of green. 94/100
Matetic
Vineyards EQ Syrah 2007 San Antonio, Chile
Ripe, rich, pure with lovely sweet dark cherry and blackcurrant
fruit, as well as some spicy meatiness. Stylish, in a rich,
fruit-driven style. Beautifully expressive with good tannic
structure. 94/100
Craggy
Range Le Sol Syrah 2007 Hawkes Bay, New Zealand
Rich, ripe and smooth with an intensely polished red fruit
character and nice tannins. Good definition. Quite modern, but with
lovely personality. A very pure expression of Syrah. 93/100
Yarden
Syrah Ortal Vineyard 2004 Galilee, Israel
Slightly open, volatile nose, with liqueur-like cherry fruits.
Open, sweet, smooth berry fruits on the palate, with the
liqueur-like character dominating. Unusual, but nice. 91/100
Finca
Sandoval 2007 Manchuela, Spain
76% Syrah, 13% Monastrell, 11% Bobal. Sweet, ripe, rounded fruit
here with a hint of tar to the plumy, berryish fruit. There’s s
distinctive savoury character here, with grippy tannins. Dense,
nicely structured, and quite full. 90/100
Wines
tasted 02/10
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