Tuesday, January 8, 2013

Finca El Retiro 2001 Syrah (Argentina)

A few days ago I tried a bottle of the 2004 version of this wine (see review here) - I was impressed that an eight year old bottle of Argentinian Syrah could taste so good ... well I can now also tell you that an eleven year old bottle did not fare as well.  The 2001 Syrah was a wooden, earthy, long-gone-to-the-Yukon mess that showed little sign of what must have been a beautiful past.  Little to no fruit (actually I didn't taste a drop), the nose was wooden and earthy with forest floor running through it all the way to the finish.  The palate was like drinking pressed wood with a cedar mid and a hint of something smoky (which is the best flavour I could find in the bottle.  Not sure I'm going to let the other bottles get to be this old so I know what I'll be drinking during BBQ season this year.  Sorry Finca El Retiro Syrah - at 8 you were tasty, at 11 you were gone.



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