Important Update From the Founder
Read message >
Syrah vs. Shiraz
Cellier Wine Shop, Athens, Greece
Tasted January 17, 2014 by Yiannis with 601 views
Introduction
Each flight included one of each syrah/shiraz from Avantis (Greece), Penfolds and E. Guigal.
Flight 1 (3 notes)
Red
2009 Avantis Estate Syrah
88 points
Dark ruby. Ripe (boardering to overripe) and somewhat jammy fruit, true to the winery's signature style, with cherry/blackberry jam, noticeable oak (vanilla) and chocolate. Med+ bodied with flavors reminiscent of candied sour cherries in syrup, slightly coarse tannins and balancing acidity. Quite long aftertaste. Much better than my previous, overmature bottle.
Red
2007 E. Guigal Côte-Rôtie Brune et Blonde
93 points
A lovely, typical Northern Rhone red, at a very nice stage to enjoy now and potential to improve further. Medium garnet color. Etheral floral and spicy nose with leather, red berries, violets and intense white pepper. Medium-bodied with firm tannins that will mellow with further cellaring (or next a dish rich in protein) balancing to high acidity and a long, peppery aftertaste. Very enjoyable Cote Rotie from the region's master.
Red
2010 Penfolds Shiraz Bin 28 Kalimna
90 points
Dark ruby-purple. Sweet nose with liquorice, dark berries, cumin and smoke. Med+ body, silky tannins, good balance and length. Excellent aussie shiraz.
Flight 2 (3 notes)
Red
2008 Avantis Estate Agios Chronos
90 points
Probably the best of the 3 syrah-dominated Avantis bottles. This is co-fermented with a small percentage of viognier. Dark ruby-garnet. Chocolatey and raisiny nose, somewhat port-like with berry jam, chocolate and sweet spice alongside scents of violets. Med+ bodied with jammy fruit, soft tannins and long aftertaste. Probably at peak.
Red
2009 E. Guigal Côte-Rôtie Château d'Ampuis
94 points
Dark purple. Still a baby, with esspresso coffee, leather, charcoal, fresh-sliced salami, smoke and meat. Focused and somewhat restrained. Full-bodied and dense with firm tannins, powerful fruit and balancing acidity. Very long. Great potential but needs time to unwind.
Red
2005 Penfolds Shiraz Magill Estate
94 points
One of the stars of the tasting, and definitely my choice if I had to pick a wine for immediate consumption. Medium garnet. Eucalypt, blueberry, violet and scents of undergrowth. Refined and complex, medium-bodied with silky tannins, round, perfectly balanced and long. Everybody loved it. Great now but will drink nicely for another decade or so.
1 person found this helpful
Comment
Flight 3 (3 notes)
Red
2009 Avantis Estate Syrah Collection
89 points
Medium to dark ruby. Sweet, yet somewhat restrained nose with clove, cinnamon, vanilla, berry jam and the usual raisiny elements. Full-bodied with firm tannins, rich fruit but just a bit hollow mid-palate. Long aftertaste. Good but not fully justifying its price.
Red
2009 Penfolds Shiraz RWT
95 points
Unmistakeably Barossa shiraz of top quality. Pronounced eucalypt, camphor, blueberry, godiva mint chocolate and florality. Full-bodied, dense with explosive fruit, yet perfectly balanced. Firm but fine-grained tannins of textbook quality and a very long aftertaste. Still quite youthful but absolutely enjoyable. My WOTN.
2 people found this helpful
Comment
Red
2006 E. Guigal Hermitage
88 points
Relatively disappointing compared to the Cote Rotie. Dark ruby-garnet. restrained nose with smoke, bacon fat, spice and floral scents. Medium-bodied and even less expressive on the palate with a medium aftertaste.
Closing
Aussie shiraz from Penfolds was probably the winner overall. Guigal wines performed nicely with the exception of the rather disappointing 2006 Hermitage. The Greek wines, from Avantis, were the most ripe in character with more evident oak than both Penfolds and Guigal, but overall their performance was anything but disappointing especially given their prices.