A huge, monumental, iconic wine that scored massively with the pros and cost me an arm and leg. This weekend marks a huge turn in Moxie’s store and a good reason to celebrate, hence the need to pull out a $300+ bottle of wine from the depths of the cellar. To emphasize- RP 98, WE 98, WS 97, WC 97, AWC 95. Wow….
I have been in Asia for a few days and just returned this morning. Napping the morning away, I was ready for a hearty meal and some good vino. I decided on a Lamb tagine to go with this Aussie Syrah. Yup, Syrah…. They don’t call it a Shiraz, hmmmm.
I opened the bottle at 6:30 and made immediate notes:
The wine is nearly black in the glass and the first whiff was pure alcohol. I let it settle for few minutes and coaxed dark, brooding currants and a touch of the wood in addition to some cherry hints. On the palate I did not catch any of the 14.5% alcohol! Instead I got a complex mixture of black currants, plums, kirsch and oak. The mid palate adds a fine grained tannic streak along with some tobacco and spice nuances. The finish is where the alcohol shows up, unfortunately. The tannins are totally integrated at this point and do not dry out the end game.
It’s now three hours after opening and the wine has not evolved all that much, just softening up a bit on the initial attack. I doubt it will morph much more before I polish it off. The critics reckoned this wine would go until 2030. My impressions are below, and not quite in line.
Firstly, this is not my favorite Syrah nor is it my favorite wine from this producer. I disagree with the high ratings, I don’t think it warrants more than 92 points. For the price, it is a very dear wine and I’m only giving it 2 stars. Don’t get me wrong, this is a good wine- perhaps a great wine according to the pros but for me it’s just average for the price. I was hoping for more depth, complexity and certainly more flavor. My quest is to expand my palate and try as many highly rated wines as possible so I will be better able to discern a truly great wine. This one just wasn’t it, a pity. Salut….
Caspernick's Blog 
Ouch, this is a pity. It is also generally disappointing to go against all the high ratings, especially when they align so much. Considering your note on the color, this wine needs at least another 10 if not 15 years to evolve… But of course, there are no guarantees. From my experience, it is those closed up and intensely tannic wines that evolve with time – based on your description, this might not be the case. But then I know that my palate generally doesn’t agree with Mr. Parker’s : )
I’m afraid the tannins are already subsiding. I fear this wine is not built for the 30 years as originally thought. Perhaps it will come out of its shell in a few years and show it’s true self. I have one more bottle, which will be secured in the corner of the cellar waiting for another 10 years as suggested. Cheers…
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