Winemaker Notes
With aromas of plums, rhubarb and ripe blackcurrant on the nose along with chocolate, cinnamon spice, hints of anise and earthy notes this is a complex and intriguing wine. Dark berry fruit is the dominant character on the front palate, and it is dense and brooding through the mid palate. With time in the glass the wine develops more complexity with mocha notes, toasted sweet spices along with hints of white pepper. It is a full, round and powerful wine and finishes with fine silky tannins.
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Sourced from 4 to 5 vineyard sites mainly consisting of terra rossa soils, the 2008 Shiraz finished fermentation in oak; 60% American, 40% French oak, 30% new. Very deep purple-black colored, it begins with earthy notes of loam and truffles over ripe blackberries, crushed blueberries, warm black cherries and Mediterranean herbs with hints of mint, mocha and violets. Full-bodied with a medium to firm level of silt-like tannins, refreshingly high acid and good amount of fleshy fruit, it finishes long and savory.
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Wine Enthusiast
A solid, potent example of Shiraz, this 2008 doesn’t show any ill effects of the vintage-time heatwave, offering fresh, clean flavors of blueberries, vanilla and tobacco. Tannins are firm and slightly dusty in style, making this a solid choice with steak or roasts. Drink now–2015, and possibly a few years after that.
Marked by an unmistakable deep purple hue and savory aromatics, Syrah makes an intense, powerful and often age-worthy red. Native to the Northern Rhône, Syrah achieves its maximum potential in the steep village of Hermitage and plays an important component in the Red Rhône Blends of the south, adding color and structure to Grenache and Mourvèdre. Syrah is the most widely planted grape of Australia and is important in California and Washington. Sommelier Secret—Such a synergy these three create together, the Grenache, Syrah, Mourvedre trio often takes on the shorthand term, “GSM.”
QUIHDSH087_2008 Item# 122750