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WTN: Dorks do Syrah

PostPosted: Wed Feb 12, 2014 7:08 pm
by Jenise
All wines served blind.

2003 Dunham Cellars Syrah Artist Series Lewis Vineyard, Washington
I opened with this bottle. Blueberry, ashes, garrique, malt, cinnamon. Clean, more modern than not, group found it seemed aged but not more than 5-6 years (wrong) and more likely from a cool climate (wronger). 14.7% alcohol doesn't show. Excellent showing for Washington.

2004 Kiona Syrah Estate Reserve Red Mountain, Washington
Tim's wine. Blueberry milkshake and some flowers with development appropriate for vintage and good mouthfeel, but overall somewhat simplistic when compared to the other wines served tonight.

2011 Domaine Auguste Clape Cornas Renaissance
Gabe's wine. Lovely dusty nose, floral, fastidiously fresh and toned. Needs time of course, but wow. Classy.

2010 Stark-Condé Syrah Unfined and Unfiltered, Stellenbosch
Vic's wine. Robust color, violets and leather nose, develops mint and a little roast beef with time in the glass. Medium plus body and old worldly but with a new world sweetness to the fruit. Not at all surprised it's South African. Will reward cellaring. Great QPR @ $20 retail.

2007 Cougar Crest Syrah Walla Walla
Melissa's wine. Typical of a midling Washington syrah, balanced and gulpable but lacks personality.

2011 M. Chapoutier Shiraz Tournon 'Mathilda', Victoria
Nina's bottle. Light color and body. Cooler climate profile with strawberry-cherry fruit with pepper and cactus. Not bad wine but lacks true syrah character. Very young vines, maybe? Pretty shocked when it turns out to be Australian. (13% alc, $17 retail).

2011 M. Chapoutier Shiraz Tournon 'Mathilda', Victoria
Tim's bottle. Yup, same wine as last bottle but a slightly better bottle with a little more meat on its bones but same typicity problem. Shows more like French Grenache than Oz syrah or syrah from anywhere, really, with all that strawberry and pepper--not that that's a bad thing. A drink-now wine that would have grown on me with more time.

2003 DeLille Cellars Syrah Doyenne, Washington
My bottle. Initial nose of root beer followed by blueberry, raspberry, fennel and orange rind. Complex and intriguing--best wine of the night so far. Group can't place it as Washington, let alone hot vintage. Gabe loves it and accuses me of trying to destroy his paradigm both re WA syrahs and the reward for patience with this winery's products. The retailers in the group (there are three) claim these wines show very awkwardly when young--they'd never have guessed something like this was down the road.

1998 M. Chapoutier Crozes-Ermitage Les Varonniers Crozes-Hermitage
Further along than my last bottle and in that later stage of maturity where it has lost a lot of color and body but acquired a state of grace. Exceptional for an aged Crozes with ham, fennel, orange peel, earl gray tea and a only a hint of green olive that otherwise could have given it's origins away--the table was sure it was instead a Cornas.

Re: WTN: Dorks do Syrah

PostPosted: Thu Feb 13, 2014 3:56 pm
by Diane (Long Island)
How does the Clape Renaissance differ from the regular Cornas? I've only had the Vin des Amis by Clape, but I've had and have Cornas by Allemand.

Re: WTN: Dorks do Syrah

PostPosted: Thu Feb 13, 2014 4:00 pm
by Rahsaan
I believe it's a young vine Cornas. Or at least younger than the main Cornas. And more approachable young.