Skip to main content

Barnard Griffin 2007 Syrah


Washington Syrah
Day One: This wine is a dark purple/violet color, with dusty violets on the nose, slightly chalky (powdered candy & vanilla taffy), with a hint of coconut.

Good mouth feel, plum, mint, vanilla, coconut, chocolate. Leave the bottle open longer, and this wine really fills the mouth with fruit flavors. The finish lengthens too.

Velvety finish, balanced tannins, with just the proper amount of acidity. A refined wine, easy to appreciate with a medium finish that encourages another taste.

This wine puts me in the mood for salami, aged Cheddar and the best crusty bread you can find - with a chocolate truffle to finish. Although not as big as the last two wines I reviewed, it still hits all the correct notes for me, and gets better the longer it is open (read on).

Day two: I saved half the bottle to taste the next day. Wow, this wine has transformed itself. The medley of flavors has unified into a silky, luxurious and suave wine. The dry tannins punctuate the experience. There is a great deal of life in this wine. If only I'd saved more of it for day two.

My advice? Go buy a case of the 2007 Barnard Griffin Syrah, and open a bottle every two months. You'll then be able to enjoy this wine over the next two years. Sometime over the next 24 months, this wine should start drinking, on day one, as well as it does on day two. At least that's the excuse I would use.

The spirit of Washington wine lives in this bottle, ever changing and improving. Washington is a terrific place to live and to make wine. I've known for years that Rob Griffin has respect for the fruit he uses to give his wines heart and soul. I'm going to miss Washington wines.

Recommended.

http://www.barnardgriffin.com/

Cheers!

note: This is going to be my last Washington wine post for a while (unless someone would like to contribute a post to this blog - email me). I'll continue to post wine reviews on my other wine blog, http://www.stillwild4wine.blogspot.com/

Popular posts from this blog

Review: Sho Chiku Bai, Unfiltered Sake

Last month in Seattle, I purchased a bottle of Nigori sake at Uwajimaya. Uwajimaya is one of the largest Asian grocery retailers in the Pacific Northwest. I’ve been visiting Uwajimaya for almost 40 years. When I was much younger, I’d buy model ship and plane kits, Japanese comic books (manga) and I never left without at least one steaming Humbow in hand. Today I buy the manga for my son; while I still enjoy the tasty steamed Humbows, now I never leave without at least one bottle of Sake in hand. Uwajimaya has a terrific selection of imported sake. This most recent visit, I left with a bottle of Sho Chiku Bai Nigori sake. Nigori sake is generally the sweetest of all sakes, with a fruity nose and a mild flavor, making a great drink to complement spicy foods or as a dessert wine. Typical sake is usually filtered to remove grain solids left behind after the fermentation process; however Nigori sake remains unfiltered, resulting in a cloudier beverage. Before serving, the bottle ...

Spirit Review: Ole Smokey Tennessee Moonshine White Lightnin' @OleSmoky

Today I have crossed the line from wine to spirits. At 100 proof the Ole Smokey Tennessee Moonshine is definitely turning up the volume (ABV 50%). "Moonshine, white lightning, mountain dew, hooch, and Tennessee white whiskey are terms used to describe high-proof distilled spirits, generally produced illicitly...The word "moonshine" is believed to derive from the term "moonrakers" used for early English smugglers and the clandestine (i.e., by the light of the moon) nature of the operations of illegal Appalachian distillers who produced and distributed whiskey." Source Wikipedia My family is no stranger to Moonshine.  That is, my great-grandfather and grandfather were not strangers. Evidently the family occasionally produced their own spirits on their Oregon ranch. My grandfather told me about his younger brother getting into his dads stash with predictable results. Grandmother also told me stories about midnight runs and secretive deliveries d...

Col Solare Cabernet Sauvignon. The style has changed.

“There is something special going on at Col Solare." In mid-June 2022, I began working for Col Solare winery on the Red Mountain AVA in Washington state. The Red Mountain AVA and Col Solare are famous for stunning Cabernet Sauvignon. That I knew going in.  We are not here to make more wine... We are here to showcase place. At the end of June 2022, Col Solare winemaker Darel Allwine retired. Darel had been winemaker since 2013. Prior, he had been Col Solare assistant winemaker for Marcus Notaro. Marcus had been Col Solare winemaker when the Red Mountain facility opened and was winemaker before we had our Red Mountain facility.  On July 1, 2022, Col Solare assistant winemaker, Stephanie Cohen, was promoted to Col Solare winemaker. I was present for this change. It was the end of one chapter and the beginning of a new one. Col Solare is the third winery I have worked for. I chose well.  Often, I am asked by Col Solare guests, as I was last week, “Tell me about Col Solare. Wh...