Bottle Notes, Syrah

2005 Lillian Syrah – Bottle Notes

Maggie Harrison was assistant winemaker to Manfred Krankl of Sine Qua Non for eight years before moving to Oregon to take over the wine making position at Antica Terra. Lillian Winery, founded in 2004, represents Maggie’s personal project and reflects everything that she learned during her time at Sine Qua Non.

The fruit for the Lillian Syrah comes from the White Hawk Vineyard in Santa Barbara County. The 77 acre vineyard was planted in 1997.

Opaque purple in color. 15.6% ABV. Surreal nose of plums, flowers, grilled meats and black olives. Medium body with perfect acidity. Everything is in balance here and the wine has a sense of weight of palate that belies the 11 years of bottle age. Flavors of blueberries, soy sauce and olive brine. The finish is tremendous. This has aged exceptionally well. Drink over the next 1-2 years.

My rating: 94 points.

Lillian belongs in the discussion of best domestic syrahs with the likes of Cayuse, Saxum and Sine Qua Non.

The wine is available via the web site once a year and current vintages run about $75. I recently blogged about Lillian forgoing their mailing list.

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