WTN: 2002 Havens "Hudson Vineyard" Syrah

At Wine Styles last night after the Veezer tasting.

This wine is all about the bacon and the smoke and pepper...not a fruit forward wine at all. There is some black plum here, but...I imagine high toast oak helps create this flavor profile? Nonetheless, it was very interesting to drink such a savory wine. Very earthy and mushroomy, too. Solid-could use a little more acid kick and a touch more fruit, perhaps, but enjoyable and 88 points.

Interesting Brian. I have two more bottles of the 2003 in my cellar. I found this wine to be luxurious and lush and rich, not fruit forward but definitely new world. Deep black plum yes, bacon, sure, smoke, yes as well and some vanilla/brown sugar too as I recall. Enjoyable and impressive for sure, but somehow not complex enough when all was said and done. Had I had but one glass I would have really raved about it, but after that it lost some of my interest. Perhaps it's what you point out about the missing acid kick. I'd go 88 points too.

Well, Bob. Too warm storage and seven years old...so I was pleased with what I got. And, I don't want to damn the wine with too faint praise-I liked the savoryness of the bottle and others liked it even more! Just not enough to up my completely random, inconsistent use of point scores into the 90s.

Interestingly enough, I have found other Havens wines to be very nervy in their acidic structure. Especially the Merlot. I will report for June.

A crowd pleaser to be sure. Perhaps I should plan on opening another of my bottles of the Syrah to go along with your Merlot tasting in June. I'll be interested to see how consistent my impressions are with the last bottle, and with your impressions of the '02.