2005 The Observatory Syrah

Community Tasting Notes (4) Avg Score: 88.8 points

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  3/10/2013 - Billy Swan Likes this wine:

  No bakelite or burning rubber in this one. More like northern Rhône casting longing looks towards Burgundy and the natural wine scene. It's flowery syrah, light blackberries with a notch of pepper, a tad of asian spice and something like clay or a muddy lake. Acidity is really nice, towards oranges, tannins are there but very rounded. Excellent.

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  2/22/2013 - AndersThoresson wrote: 90 Points

  A truly mind-boggling wine, as mentioned before. A Syrah that feels like either a Bourgogne or a Nebbiolo. And from SA on top of that! Red fruits, tar, autumn notes. Smooth with precise acidity and tannins. A great experience.

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  8/3/2012 - peblin Likes this wine: 89 Points

  A truly mind-expanding wine. Elegant and light, spicy and fruity, fine-grained tannins and good balance - all in all, a perfect, cool-climate (French) wine - think "natural", serious Beajolais. ...from South Africa!? Mind-expanding, excellent and really showing a completely new attractive style of SA wine.

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  4/16/2012 - Finare Vinare wrote: 88 Points

  Cloudy, warm red appearance with some bricking. "Natural" northern rhône-like nose with powder liquorice, gunsmoke, red plum preserve and green herbal notes. Medium bodied taste with low alcohol, refreshing and food-friendly - but watch out for the greenish, somewhat spiky acidity. It gets annoying at higher temp but works well when served around 14-15 degrees. Good with fatty cheese where the acidity cuts through and rinses the palate. Interesting enough to be drunk several times.

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