Saturday Aged Syrah (Blind)

My Place
Tasted Saturday, November 23, 2013 by smcilhen with 385 views

Introduction

I have been trying to have a blind tasting at my place with my buddies for a long time now. Somehow, the moon and stars aligned and we actually pulled it off. I thought it would be fun to see how Syrah is treated in different areas of the world and also take a look at some wines with age on them (had to be 2007 or earlier).....of course, I threw in a few wild cards!

Flight 1 (8 Notes)

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  • 2007 Kilikanoon Shiraz Oracle 89 Points

    Australia, South Australia, Mount Lofty Ranges, Clare Valley

    Blind wine #1 of 8. Sweet nose of fruit and pumpkin spice. Blueberry and raspberry on the palate. Well integrated alcohol. Others picked up pepper notes.

    My 89 points. Group's #3 (tied) of 8. A well-made wine and pleasure to drink, just not much else going on.

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  • 2005 Domaine Coursodon Saint-Joseph L'Olivaie 88 Points

    France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Saint-Joseph

    Blind wine #2. Given 2.5 hours of air prior to drinking. Slight raisin notes. Tart acidity, a little thin. Decent finish. A good food wine. Smooth.

    My 88 points. Group's #5 of 8. I think I like Rhone Syrahs more than others in my group

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  • 2007 Betz Family Syrah La Côte Rousse 86 Points

    USA, Washington, Columbia Valley, Red Mountain

    Blind wine #3. Given 2.5 hours of air before consuming. Coffee grounds and butter on the nose. Noticeable alcohol. Thin with a short finish. Others mentioned an overwhelming menthol or spearmint note. When revealed to be Betz (my wine) I almost died. Really bad showing.

    My 86 points. Group's #6 (tied) of 8 wines. Not worth the $$$ (and I love other wines I've had from Betz).

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  • 2010 Karma Vista Vineyards Syrah Reserve 82 Points

    USA, Michigan, Lake Michigan Shore

    Blind wine #4. Given 2.5 hours of air before consuming. Tasted like watered down grape juice with a plastic note to the nose. No finish. Very fruit forward. I knew this was one of my wildcards so I did not score it. On my trip to SW Michigan 3 weeks ago, this was one of the best wines served....I guess it can't hang with the big boys.

    Group avg = 86 points. Wine #8 of 8 wines. My score would be lower, maybe around 82.

    (EDITED TO INCLUDE MY SCORE)

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  • 2012 Charles Smith Syrah Boom Boom 85 Points

    USA, Washington

    Blind wine #5 and one of my wildcards. Given 6 hours of air before consuming, since I knew if I didn't air this one out it would be obvious as a very young wine.

    Big nose. Tastes like watery grape juice. Very young on the palate with bright fruit and perhaps rose notes. Alcohol is hidden well. Not complex.

    My 85 points. Group's #6 (tied) of 8 wines.

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  • 2004 Behrens & Hitchcock Syrah Homage to Ed Oliveira Alder Springs Vineyard 92 Points

    USA, California, North Coast, Mendocino County

    Blind wine #6 of 8. Inky, dark wine. Long finish.

    My 92. Group's #1 of 8. Everyone scored this a 92, so we all agreed this was great.

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  • 2001 Elderton Shiraz 90 Points

    Australia, South Australia, Barossa

    Blind wine #7 of 8. Raisin notes. Fully integrated wine with noticeable bricking/browning. Medium bodied. Others picked up notes of pine on the nose. This was the easiest wine for me to identify.....I knew it was an old Aussie shiraz. That being said, I thought it was a year or two past its prime and could have been even better than it already was. Drink now.

    My 90. Group's #2 of 8.

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  • 2003 Copain Syrah Hawks Butte Vineyard 93 Points

    USA, California, North Coast, Yorkville Highlands

    Blind wine #8 of 8. Extremely black color. Green olive notes abound on the nose and palate. Very smooth and fully integrated. Everyone picked up the olive note and some thought it was too much....I loved it.

    My 93 points. Group's #3 (tied) of 8.

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Closing

Overall, it was a great event. No real takeaways except that I was extremely disappointed to see how the Betz showed.

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