1998 Andrew Murray Syrah Roasted Slope

Community Tasting Notes (6) Avg Score: 88.3 points

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  1/3/2014 - jonahfactor Likes this wine:

  From magnum, cellar stored upon release and signed by AM with a "Cheers! Rock & Rhone" salutation. I dreaded pulling the cork on this one given some of the other notes reflecting this vintage might be over the hill. Sadly it is -- even from magnum. No fault of the winemaker. That said, this is still an intriguing wine -- or what's left of it. At this stage of its life, there's an earthy, currant and cassis quality to this Syrah with some pencil lead in the nose that leans more toward Bordeaux than Rhone. Remarkably fresh, with some antique armoire notes. It's all in the nose, hints of its previous glory on the palate and then falls off a cliff in the finish. It is, after all, a 15-year-old Cali-Rhone. Still a fun journey. Drink up, and enjoy it for its enchanting bouquet. Whatever you do, don't decant!

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  1/2/2012 - pjwatts wrote:

  Sadly knackered... My fault for leaving it tooooo long. More the shame as there are some interesting but faded fruit / spice notes. The acidity that's left behind is just too much. To score this wine would be nothing more than to score my own foolishness at leaving it too long...

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  7/28/2011 - stevenjstein Likes this wine: 91 Points

  Maybe this wouldn't be for everyone, but for me it's holding up very well. The tart, almost citrus-like, acidity on the mid palate is what really stands out. The savory and fruit notes have taken a bit of a back seat, but are definitely still there. Very Nothern Rhone-like.

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  5/23/2007 - zinslurpie wrote:

  Wonderful nose of earth and dark fruit upon opening. A little disjointed at first, but resolved itself after about 30 minutes of air. Great pairing with Buffalo burgers (not too many condiments, the flavor of the meat is excellent!) and grill-wok vegetables. Plenty of life left. Will try last bottle in a couple years. Am really impressed with AM's premium Syrahs, having bought most of the bottles I've had between '97 and '00. They have really held up. The '97 and '98 Hillsides are very full of life per my tastings last year.

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  5/1/2006 - Hoya Vinophile wrote: 88 Points

  Very interesting wine. Beautiful nose with distinct cedar notes. There was still a decent amount of fruit, but the finish pulled up short with a tart/sour note at the very end. The color had transformed from the typical deep purple to a redish/brown.

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