1999 Lewis Cellars Syrah

Community Tasting Notes (19) Avg Score: 91.1 points

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  7/23/2021 - Decanting Queen Likes this wine:

  How is this for bad cellar management? Opened one of these last night, but according to my notes these were already consumed. So I think one of my previous March or December ‘20 notes may have been for a 1998 bottle.
  Anyway, this was lovely for my palate. A fully mature (will be too mature for some) Syrah, full fruited but also so much else going on with savory and Worcester notes. I was sad when the bottle was empty.

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  3/19/2021 - Decanting Queen Likes this wine:

  Similar to my note of 12/20 and drinking very well for my palate. If you like mature Syrah with plenty of savory flavors but still noticeable fruit, this is not to be missed.

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  12/15/2020 - Decanting Queen Likes this wine: 93 Points

  I really enjoy more mature Lewis Syrah’s, so when they had a library offer, I was thrilled to try some of these older wines. The 1999 was in pristine condition as you would expect from winery direct, my previous experiences with bottles from the secondary market have involved crumbly corks and probably not the best storage. This was drinking mature, but excellently. Still enough juicy black fruit to remind you it was a Cali Syrah. But loads of interesting tertiary flavor like game and roasted meat, some herbs and a dash of Worcester sauce. This was fantastic.

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  9/28/2019 - alpha_ori Likes this wine: 91 Points

  I bought two bottles of this back in 2011. I was a bit disappointed in the first, and so I forgot about the second for quite some time. Finally decided to crack it open while waiting for dinner to cook, and...you know what, this is still quite drinkable.
  
  My tasting notes are pretty consistent, even seven years apart. The wine still isn't particularly complex. I suspect this was a wine that was trading mainly on a couple of luxurious elements: lush fruit, probably, a smooth texture, viscosity, and well-integrated oak.
  
  The fruit was already ebbing by 2012 when I first tasted the wine, and it is almost completely gone now. The wine is still a luxurious textural experience alongside some minor secondary development. Despite maturing early, the tasting experience was fairly consistent between years 13 and 20 in the wine's lifespan. You have to admire that.

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  6/4/2018 - Goodeye Likes this wine: 92 Points

  This was an estate find. Drinking beautifully but it’s time to enjoy now. Well integrated and balanced with nice rounded soft tannins.

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