I first tasted this wine shortly after bottling, this would have been towards the end of the summer and quickly forgot about it. This is my fault, I didn’t see the real potential in this wine. That being said it was a sound lesson in the reality of bottle shock. It does take wine a bit of time to settle down in bottle before it starts to taste right. I have tasted wines right off the bottling line and by the end of the bottle it feels like they have closed up shop and taken all their nice fruit flavours home. I’m glad I got to retaste this wine. Now here are some thoughts on a non-bottle shocked version of this outstanding wine from Hinterland.
2015 Red Herring Syrah – $35.00 – ****½ – In few words – this is a great example of Ontario Syrah. The depth and concentration of the flavours in this bottle will satisfy you to your core if you’re a Syrah lover. The nose almost calls to a warmer climate with black currant, licorice, blackberry and campfire smoke. On the palate there is a nice meatiness over the fruit flavours, but it doesn’t overpower. There is a peppery note, but it’s well integrated with the fruit flavours. There is not one single note that sings over the choir in this wine it’s a group effort and it’s so damned satisfying. The finish leaves you with a whisper of the smoke and licorice and the palate is refreshed thanks to high acidity. This wine is for the Syrah lover of all kinds. The fruit beckons southern Rhone while the acidity and spice are firmly rooted in the north.
