Avantis Estate Syrah Collection

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The 2007 Syrah "Collection" was aged for 18 months in large French oak barrels. Given the big price spike between the regular Syrah and this, it is fair to note that this does some things very differently. "Better" may be in the eyes of the beholder, but there is no doubt about "different." This is more suave, showing more finesse, a very graceful mid-palate and a caressing texture. Most importantly, it has more Syrah character, a point in its favor that puts me in its corner, with earthy and gamey notes. It seemed to cry out "Syrah" from the very first moment, while the regular Syrah takes awhile to get there and never quite shows as much typicity. The Collection is also far more oaky at first - which will turn some off - but the oak in fact integrated quite well with air and they both turned into something better balanced with time. I sometimes preferred the regular Syrah for its initial intensity, but I suspect most will prefer this elegant but lush and sexy wine, infused with Syrah character. It certainly has a backbone, though, as the tannins become more gripping with aeration. Eventually, it seemed just as powerful as the regular Syrah, perhaps more so - just a year older. At that point, though, the sweet oak was reasserting itself, too. Whether you think it is worth the price spike is up to you, but it is pretty nice. There were 1,500 bottles made. Drink now-2021. Avantis is a family run boutique that makes small production wines. The first wine debuted in 1994. Owned by Apostolos Mountrichas, its name references the prehistoric Greek tribe that immigrated to the Evia area 2100-1900 B.C.Importer: Cava Spiliadis, Astoria, NY; tel. (718) 728-0022