*Disclaimer: I received this wine as a sample from Gallo Family Wines.
I felt like a Syrah the other night. So I rummaged around in one of the sample boxes and came up with the 2005 Clarendon Hills Liandra Syrah. I didn’t even look at the associated information until I had already pulled the cork. Then I saw: Suggested Retail Price $85 and my eyes bugged out of my head. First, it was a weeknight and second, I don’t think I’ve ever had an $85 Syrah. Ever. I’m sure the price has something to do with the huge scores this one received from various traditional media sources. I see you can find it on the internet for about $66. But still, WOAH!. The wine had a real cork closure, clocked in at 14.5% alcohol by volume, hails from Austrailia, and only 500 cases were made.
The nose on the wine jumped out of the glass and smacked me across the face. I could smell the fruit from across the room. Literally….Matt had the bottle near him, about 6 feet from where I sit and I could smell berries and plums wafting across the divide. On the nose I found berries, plums, pepper, blueberry, violets, chocolate syrup, and other dark fruit. It smelled juicy, if that’s possible. In the mouth I got blueberry, blackberry, dark fruit, licorice, chocolate syrup, red berries, spice, pepper, raspberries, black currants, black plums, and blueberry pie. The finish on the wine went on and on and on, carry the creamy lush fruit along with it and ending with just a hint of tart red fruit. Matt loved this wine. I was still pondering my first glass and sips and he had already come back for seconds. In terms of the price though….a little too rich for my blood!
Filed under: Australian, Red, Syrah, Wine |
Wannabe Wino Wine Blog 
Nice note on the Clarendon Hills. I used to drink Aussie Shiraz, but tired of the blueberry pie element. Too much like pancake syrup. And at $65…ouch.
Nice blog.
Thanks decatur. Yeah, the price was, um, high.