2008 Lucia Syrah Garys' Vineyard

Community Tasting Notes (43) Avg Score: 91.0 points

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  5/6/2022 - forceberry wrote: 89 Points

  Made with purchased Syrah fruit from Garys' Vineyard, farmed by Gary Franscioni and Gary Pisoni. Partly destemmed. Fermented spontaneously. Aged for 15 months in partly new French oak puncheons. 14% alcohol.
  
  Strikingly dense, opaque and inky color with a rather youthful purplish-black hue. The nose feels powerful, dense and quite complex with a somewhat Chilean feel to it. Bold, concentrated aromas of cassis-and-blackcurrant juice concentrate-driven dark fruits, fragrant notes of marjoram, some spicy notes of crushed peppercorns, light herby notes of oregano, bay leaf and other vaguely leafy nuances, a little bit of ripe bilberry, a hint of toasty oak spice and a touch of roasted meat. The wine feels dense, chewy and somewhat hot on the palate with a very full body and concentrated flavors of blackcurrant juice and crème de cassis, some herby notes of oregano and bay leaf, light minty nuances, a little bit of ripe blueberry, an umami hint of game and a sweeter, developed touch of marmaladey dark fruit. The medium acidity feels rather soft, so the overall structure relies mostly on the rather tough and grippy tannins that lend quite a bit of firmness to the mouthfeel. The persistent finish is savory, quite tannic and somewhat hot with powerful flavors of blackcurrant juice concentrate, some licorice tones, a little bit of blueberry, light umami notes of gamey meat, herbaceous hints of chopped chili and something leafy and a chocolatey touch of toasty mocha oak.
  
  A huge powerhouse of a Syrah made in a very new world style - although the wine doesn't really remind of the stereotypical Australian Shiraz, this ain't no Hermitage either. The wine does show some classic varietal qualities like peppery spice and gamey meat, but compared to classic Northern Rhône Syrah wines, this is noticeably bigger, heavier and lower in acidity. Furthermore, compared to the drier, more red-toned fruit typical of Northern Rhône Syrah, the fruit here was quite sweet and very dark-toned in character - truth be told, the rather cassis-driven fruit notes and pronounced oak nuances made me think of Chile first. Furthermore, the subtly herbaceous leafy tones felt a bit out of place for a Syrah, which is why I thought this was a Chilean Cabernet Sauvignon. As the guess was incorrect, I went on with other new world country Cabs. It took quite a bit of guesswork to end up with Californian Syrah - I guess the wine might show sense of place, but to us, it really didn't show much varietal character. Nevertheless, it's an impressive blockbuster that is still a baby at 13 years of age - expect the wine to age and improve for many, many years more. I guess the wine is worth the price at 45€, if you like monolithic fruit bombs, but this wasn't really my cup of tea.

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  6/11/2020 - dsimmons Likes this wine: 92 Points

  Last bottle drank with braised pork shoulder. Loads of fruit and spice. Drink or hold.

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  2/11/2020 - vineinabottle Likes this wine: 92 Points

  Appearance
  Clarity - Clear
  Intensity - Deep
  Color - purple
  Other Observations - a bit of sediment showing up on the side of the glass, nothing glaring nor did bottle produce any substantial.
  
  Nose
  Condition - Clean
  Intensity - Medium +
  Aroma Characteristics - a bit medicinal upon opening, perhaps some mint, lovely blue and dark fruit, maybe a touch of boysenberry, some pepper and olive and all primary and secondary
  Development - fully developed
  
  Palate
  Sweetness - dry
  Acidity - medium +
  Tannin - medium- to medium
  Alcohol - medium
  Body - medium+
  
  Flavor Characteristics - medium+, very mature
  
  Flavor Intensity - medium+
  
  Finish - Long
  
  Conclusions - a very good wine, beyond my expectation thought, juicy on the palate, held up well, the bottle condition was excellent purchased at auction. Fully mature, but I think with the right conditions it certainly could see another 2-4 years. And excellent value at $22!

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  10/31/2018 - dsimmons Likes this wine: 95 Points

  Delicious mature Syrah full of fruit and secondary flavors all in a seamlessly integrated package. Wine is likely at peak. Drink or hold a few more years.

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  3/9/2018 - Whine-oh Likes this wine: 93 Points

  P n p. Dark, ripe fruit, rich. Resolved tannins. Opened up as nite wore on. Paired w pork loin, went well. In a good place for this style. Still alive and well when visited on night 3.

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