Andrew Murray Hillside Reserve Syrah, Santa Ynez Valley, USA

穆雷山坡珍藏西拉干紅葡萄酒

點擊次數：4376

Readers looking for something more akin to a French Hermitage should check out the 2001 Syrah Hillside Reserve. Tasting as if J. L. Chave wines were its inspiration, aromas of charcoal intermixed with tobacco leaf, creme de cassis, and flowers are followed by exceptional finesse, elegance, and purity. While not as flamboyant as the Roasted Slope cuvee, it is rich, full-bodied, and builds incrementally. This impressive, slightly backward 2001 will benefit from 1-3 years of bottle age, and should keep for 10-12.Tel. (805) 686-9604

The outstanding 2000 Syrah Hillside Reserve is a well-proportioned, big-styled effort with a flavor intensity that builds slowly in both the mid-palate and finish. Notes of mushrooms, damp earth, black fruits, pepper, and subtle oak are present in this flavorful, good-sized as well as elegant Syrah. It is best consumed over the next 6-7 years. Tel. (805) 686-9604

Expensive, but this is a very rare wine and a very good one. It is young and intense, with uplifted dark stone fruit and berry aromas and flavors with a rich, peppery note. The tannins are ripe and thick. Drinkable now, but has the structure and balance to cellar.——S.H.(12/1/2003)—— 92

The 1998 Syrah Hillside Reserve boasts an impressively saturated ruby/purple color as well as a tight but impressive nose revealing oak and ripe fruit notes. Rich, layered, tannic, structured, and backward, it requires 1-2 years of cellaring and should evolve nicely for 14+ years. My only reservation is that the tannin may never fully melt away. P.S. Readers who visit Los Olivos will find the winery has a tasting room in the quaint village center.Tel. (805) 686-9604

Andrew Murray's flagship wine is the 1997 Syrah Hillside Reserve, a concentrated, powerful Syrah meant to improve with bottle age. The opaque purple-colored 1997 offers aromas of creosote, licorice, black raspberries, and blackberries. Full-bodied, with explosive fruit, moderately high tannin, low acidity, superb ripeness and enviable integration of wood, alcohol, and tannin, this powerhouse Syrah will improve for 3-5 years, and last for an additional 10-15. Impressive! According to Andrew Murray, this selection comes from the Durell clone of Syrah grown in Sonoma.Tel. (805) 686-9604; Fax (805) 686-9704