2001 Edmunds St. John Syrah - USA, California (6/21/2017)
Library release bottle that showed everything I could have hoped for. Aromas of leather, grilled meat, and spices , supported by a touch of kirsch-like deep cherry fruit kept me going back for another sniff. I think it was ten minutes before I actually tasted the wine. Resolved tannins, smooth palate presence and a finishing kick of acid to clean everything up placed this bottle in the (very rare) fully mature ESJ camp for me. It kept right up at a steady pace for the three hours I was able to follow it. The fruit deepened just a bit, but it remained mostly focused on the evolved meat, leather and spice elements. It ended up as a fabulous accompaniment to my dinner of home made masoor dal with home made roti.
