It is hard for wineries to differentiate themselves. There are so many competitors! However, I wish the differentiation would occur in the bottle, not with the bottle. The demijohns of Fraser McKinley are not easy to store, but let's get to the wine.
The 2015 Sami-Odi 'Mahé & Ribo' Syrah comes from old blocks of the Dallwitz vineyard in the Northern Barossa. Adrian Hoffmann, the vigneron, hopes to elevate his vineyard to similar provenance as the To Kalon vineyard in Napa Valley. He is on the way with fruit sales to all of Barossa royalty.
The vineyard is situated in the hottest part of the Barossa, and 2015 was a warm vintage, yet the bright purple colour of this wine suggests some freshness. There are intense red fruit aromas emanating from the glass.
Raspberry and boysenberry flavours dominate the palate. No black fruits here. The fruit is concentrated and lively while a bit rustic as well. there is an acidic backbone to this wine, before this Syrah finishes intense and long. Clearly, picking has been quite early, and pressing not too hard, but still, the alcohol raises its head, just a little bit.
Score: 94/++
2 comments:
what is your take on the drinking and ageing window for this one?
Hi kr1,
I think that normally 7 years is a good age for Barossa Shiraz. Most wines are quite ripe, and don't necessarily have the structure to go beyond 10 years. There are obviously major exceptions to this. The Sami-Odi was quite fresh at 6 years of age. I am confident it would still be good in 3-5 years, with more mellow characteristics towards the end of that time. Personally, I would not keep it longer, but as you know, personal preference comes into it.
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