Seattle Tasting Group does Syrah

Seattle, WA, USA
Tasted Friday, May 14, 2004 by Eric with 1,468 views

Introduction

Tonight members of the Seattle Tasting Group assembled at Jason Domanico's house to enjoy a series of Syrah-based wines. The wines were tasted blind in flights of 3 and then unveiled after we revealed our impressions.

Flight 1 - White Flight (3 Notes)

  • 2001 Alban Vineyards Viognier 85 Points

    USA, California, Central Coast

    Initially I thought this might be a Gruner Veltliner. The nose shows peach with some sharp notes. (After the identity was revealed I suddenly noticed more apricot.) On the palate this is very dry and smoky (some notes of wood) with some pepper and minerality. The finish shows heat (15.8%!!!!) and some kerosene. This is reasonably interesting if not unusual.

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  • 2001 Château de Beaucastel Côtes du Rhône Coudoulet de Beaucastel Blanc 82 Points

    France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Côtes du Rhône

    Golden color. The nose shows fruit cocktail with a hint of oxidation. On the palate this is fairly nutty with some toast. This is not offering up a lot of love right now. I guessed this was a Roussane/Marsanne blend, and I was right!

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  • 2002 J & HA Strub Niersteiner Brückchen Riesling Kabinett 90 Points

    Germany, Rheinhessen

    My bottle. AP# 4 382 288 0503. This crisp nose shows tons of lemon. Wow, the palate shows dancing acidity with a stony, lemony character. Other tasters picked up a lot of green apple. The extremely long finish is somewhat spicy with some hints of sage leaf. Delicious and refreshing!

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Flight 2 - Theme Flight 1 (3 Notes)

  • 2001 Stellenzicht Syrah 88 Points

    South Africa, Coastal Region, Stellenbosch

    Fairly light in color. The nose is incredibly smokey in a nearly artificial way, very much like the Owen Roe Ex Umbris Syrah. There is also a hint of pine needle with a meaty palate. This shows lots of acid with a tart, red-fruit profile. The finish is fairly tight and acidic.

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  • 2000 Dunham Cellars Syrah 83 Points

    USA, Washington, Columbia Valley

    The nose is slightly grapey and syrupy, showing lots of youth. On the palate there is not a lot of depth, and this is fairly monolothic. This does finish with a nice mouthful of tannins, so it clearly does have some structure and ageability.

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  • 2000 Araujo Estate Syrah Eisele Vineyard 90 Points

    USA, California, Napa Valley

    The nose is somewhat mineral and shows a lot of barrel char. On the palate there was lots of searing, tannic depth. This is very black and powerful, ripping!

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Flight 3 - Theme Flight 2 (4 Notes)

  • 2001 Marquis Philips Shiraz 9 93 Points

    Australia, South Australia, Fleurieu, McLaren Vale

    The nose shows blueberry and smoke. Oh my goodness, the palate shows a very sweet attack with searing, tannic power. This shows a creamy vanilla and blueberry personality, and the finish is very long and shows blueberry pie. Tasted blind, I in fact picked this wine correctly.

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  • 1997 Chris Ringland Shiraz Randall's Hill 92 Points

    Australia, South Australia, Barossa, Barossa Range

    My bottle. The nose shows violet, VA, tar and latex. On the palate this is very 'bright' and beautifully balanced with lots of raspberry. The finish is very tight and young with lots of structure.

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  • 2002 Glaetzer Shiraz Amon-Ra Barossa Valley 89 Points

    Australia, South Australia, Barossa, Barossa Valley

    The nose is black and meaty with eucalyptus and mint. On the palate this is fairly monolithic yet quite powerful with lots of oak in the background. This is very focused and shows less depth and dimension than the other wines in the flight. This is not very giving right now, but with an extra hour in the glass this is slowly opening up.

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  • 2001 Marquis Philips Shiraz Integrity Flawed

    Australia, South Australia, Fleurieu, McLaren Vale

    I opened this to decant earlier in the day, and the bloody thing was CORKED!

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Flight 4 - Theme Flight 3 (3 Notes)

  • 1999 E. Guigal Côte-Rôtie Château d'Ampuis 90 Points

    France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Côte-Rôtie

    I would never recognize this from a prior taste. The nose is slightly citric with a hint of garrigue. On the palate this is much less giving than the other wines. This is tannic, acidic and tight with a distinct cherry profile, almost Grenache like right now.

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  • 1995 Rene Rostaing Côte-Rôtie La Landonne 86 Points

    France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Côte-Rôtie

    This has a very old-world smell with a hint of barnyard. On the palate this is initially awesome with a leathery entry and a chewy texture. At first my notes complained that this lacked depth, but with time this gained some weight. Nonetheless this had a tight finish with a lot of acid.

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  • 1995 Domaine l'Aiguelière Coteaux du Languedoc Montpeyroux Côte Rousse 91 Points

    France, Languedoc Roussillon, Languedoc, Coteaux du Languedoc Montpeyroux

    This smelled like a steaming pile of horseshit. On the palate this was tarry, black and earthy with a hint of sweetness. This is surprisingly lush with lots of structure and easily has a decade ahead of it before it is pleasurable to drink. Very impressive!

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Flight 5 - Dessert Flight (3 Notes)

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