Swordfern Wine Tasting #11: Single-Vineyard Syrahs from Waters

Paul & Kelli's: Seattle, WA
Tasted Thursday, March 5, 2009 by zitarell with 392 views

Introduction

My hope for this tasting was to explore Washington terroir, and to do so by keeping the varietal, vintage, and winemaker the same, and differing only the vineyards. Fortunately for me, Waters Winery in Walla Walla produced four single-vineyard Syrahs from 2006 grapes. And even better, they used little to no new oak when aging these wines.

Flight 1 (4 Notes)

  • 2006 Waters Syrah

    USA, Washington

    This was the prettiest wine of the night, with a floral, citrus-infused nose that also showed hints of earth, meat, and forest. Flavors of black licorice, dark fruit, and peaches; big acid; not too much in the way of tannins; and a pleasantly spicy finish. A lovely, well-rounded wine.

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  • 2006 Waters Syrah Loess Vineyard

    USA, Washington, Columbia Valley, Walla Walla Valley

    I absolutely loved this wine; especially the nose, which evoked the life of a truffle-hunting pig, with musty aromas of mushroom, dirt, cabbage, and charcoal. Great acidity carried flavors of blueberries and meats, and there were some brawny tannins that make me think this could stand to age for a few more years.

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  • 2006 Waters Syrah Forgotten Hills

    USA, Washington, Columbia Valley, Walla Walla Valley

    On the first pass, the nose was more traditional Syrah: blackberry, black pepper, and an herbal component. But on the second pass, after a few hours open, the true colors of Forgotten Hills began to emerge: loads of bacon, olives, and cabbage. The palate had delicious, rich cherry fruit and a toasty finish.

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  • 2006 Waters Syrah Pepper Bridge Walla Walla Valley

    USA, Washington, Columbia Valley, Walla Walla Valley

    This might be getting a raw deal, because the other three were so good, but to me, the Pepper Bridge didn’t bring the same level of complexity as the other wines. The nose was the most muted of the four, with hints of candied cherry and menthol. On the palate, more cherries and some nice minerality, but this finished hot. The alcohol seemed a bit out of whack, and I would try drinking this colder if I had another bottle.

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Closing

This was a great tasting, with the wines all drinking very nicely.

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