2008 Bunnell Family Cellars Syrah Clifton Hill Vineyard

Community Tasting Notes (24) Avg Score: 91.2 points

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  1/16/2024 - bdhanna Likes this wine: 93 Points

  Wow, this is why I love Syrah !! These Syrahs need a decade or more and this one is at peak and tasting great !!
  A perfect cork after almost a decade and a half in the bottle. This soft and smooth Syrah was a deep dark burgundy color with little to no oxidation, clarity medium, unfined, and unfiltered. Aromas of black cherry, meat, and raspberry. Flavors of black cherry cola, pepper, raspberry framboise, bacon fat, and leather. This Syrah has a beautiful medium finish. A balanced and flavorful Syrah from Clifton Hill Vineyard. This age worthy wine has more years of life left although I have no bottles of this vintage remaining in the cellar. A great fruit source and another great winemaking effort by Ron Bunnell.

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  4/3/2021 - BRR wrote: 90 Points

  Five Syrah, blind (four WA, one OR), plus two Reynvaan non-blind: Tasted blind. The nose was riper than the first wine (this wine is second in the lineup), and showed some alcoholic heat. After reveal, seeing as how the first wine was a 2017 Delmas SJR Syrah, the stark difference in the nose doesn't surprise me. Really interesting cardamom or clove note in the nose. The palate is nice, with blackberry fruit and a little herb. Zero tannin left. Tasty, but should be consumed soon.

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  12/20/2020 - rockrat Likes this wine: 92 Points

  We had about half a case of this vintage. It has been in a dumb phase for the past few years, the primacy of fruit fading with no apparent gain in complexity. Finally, it has returned to form. The color has faded slightly, but it’s still pretty dark. Upon decanting, virile aromas of dark fruit and a hint of meatiness arose. After an hour, with Wagyu ribeyes, the meatiness retreated. In it’s place was dark plum and blackberry on an undercurrent of iron and earth. Tannins have softened, but enough acidity remains to cut through the fat just fine. The aggressive oak of its youth is now mellow and integrated; it doesn’t even seem to color the purity of the fruit beyond an accent of actual wood flavor. No mocha, vanilla, or barrel spice notes. About half way through the decanter, a pronounced burst of black pepper blazed into the midpalate, and the finish gained in length. Then the pepper faded, but not the length, and the earth and iron returned. The evolution of the wine is far more interesting than it has been. After the dumb phase, this is showing great life beyond what most here thought possible. Given tonight’s performance, I think this wine will hold nicely for at least a few more years. This producer’s track record for ageability is still being established . . .

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  6/23/2020 - jmcmchi Likes this wine:

  Attractive acidity, a bit more intense on the nose than the Shiraz it followed
  
  Power is restrained, now emphasizing fruit but looking for deeper elements

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  6/18/2018 - Bladams13 Likes this wine: 92 Points

  Purple fruit and spices. On the fruitier side of Washington Syrah but quite well done. Should’ve decanted for sediment, but was still drinkable to the last drop.

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