Great Syrahs and Shirazes

An excellent tasting of 10 superbs shiraz/syrah wines from the Wine Route's cellar. Conducted by Hila

• 2003 Ferraton Père & Fils Ermitage Le Méal 93 Points

  France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Hermitage

  Dark and opaque ruby. Very good nose, alcoholic, dark, ripe fruits coffee and sweetness – 03 was a warm year. The palate continues the nose, full bodied, powerful, with soft tannins and a lot of sweetness in the mouth. Medium finish. Excellent (111$)

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• 2005 Ferraton Père & Fils Ermitage Le Méal 94 Points

  France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Hermitage

  Bright ruby color. Much more complex than the '03 – excellent nose with red fruits, earth and farm aromas. Excellent in the palate also, good balance and harmonic. Full bodied but more elegant than the '03.(104$)

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• 2002 Domaine Jean-Louis Chave Hermitage 90 Points

  France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Hermitage

  Bright ruby. Great nose with a lot of red and black fruits mixed with moss and earth. In comparison to the nose, in the palate it was a little disappointing. Medium to full bodied, soft tannins, but there was something missing… The other two Hermitages were much better.(148$)

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• 2005 Domaine Georges Vernay Côte-Rôtie Maison Rouge 93 Points

  France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Côte-Rôtie

  Excellent nose – fruit, chocolate and moss. Full-bodied, round, perfectly balanced. Low acidity. Superb!(108$)

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• 2004 E. Guigal Côte-Rôtie La Mouline 95 Points

  France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Côte-Rôtie

  This wine spent 42 months in new bourgogne barrels!. Superb and complex nose – fruits, earth, moss, smoke… Powerful and mouthfilling body, strong tannins and dominant acidity both very well integrated. It still has a long way to go. Excellent, The best of the French and, together with The Grange – the best of the whole tasting (244$)

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• 2001 Penfolds Shiraz Magill Estate 92 Points

  Australia, South Australia, Mount Lofty Ranges, Adelaide Plains

  In the nose – an explosion of ripe dark fruits and chocolate. Mouthfilling body, almost chewy. A lot of sweetness in the mouth. Very soft and tannins and good acidity, all together integrates in a very very good wine. This one was really really ready.(108$)

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• 2002 Hardys Shiraz Eileen Hardy 93 Points

  Australia, South Australia, Fleurieu, McLaren Vale

  The grapes for this wine come from both Southeast and Southwest Australia. A very expressive nose with a lot of ripe fruits and alcohol in the background. Beautiful body, full and round, smooth and well integrated tannins, very good acidity. Excellent! (97$)

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• 2006 Montes Syrah Folly La Finca de Apalta 94 Points

  Chile, Rapel Valley, Colchagua Valley

  Dark purple, completely opaque. This wine has a "crazy" nose – fruit, chocolate, vanilla – complex and powerful. Thick, chewy body. Excellent balance, nice tannins, very good acidity. An "High-Tech" wine – all the components are there and very well integrated.(86$)

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• 2006 d'Arenberg Shiraz The Dead Arm 94 Points

  Australia, South Australia, Fleurieu, McLaren Vale

  Inky black and opaque color. Complex and expressive in the nose – red and black fruits, moss, earth. Mouthfilling in the palate, soft tannins and excellent acidity. Superb (72$)

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• 2002 Penfolds Grange 95 Points

  Australia, South Australia

  Great nose – ripe fruits, chocolate. Very dense, chewy body, excellent acidity. This is really a great wine. (375$)

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