The 2005 Lillian Syrah was the leading vote getter in the November Installment of Pick My Next Bottle. The wine originally received a score of 92 points from the Wine Advocate. I decanted the wine for 30 minutes and paired it with a homemade pizza.
Maggie Harrison was assistant winemaker to Manfred Krankl of Sine Qua Non for eight years before moving to Oregon to take over the wine making position at Antica Terra. Lillian, founded in 2004, represents Maggie’s personal project and reflects everything that she learned during her time at Sine Qua Non.
The fruit for the Lillian Syrah comes from the White Hawk Vineyard in Santa Barbara County. The 77 acre vineyard was planted in 1997. The wine is purple in color. An intoxicating nose of brandied cherries, flowers, grilled meats and green peppercorns. Creamy and unctuous on the palate with flavors of blackberry liqueur, tar, bacon, olives and crushed stone. The finish is long, lush and supple. The wine is impeccably balanced and has perfect acidity.
Lillian belongs in the discussion of best domestic syrahs with the likes of Cayuse, Saxum and Sine Qua Non.
My rating: 95 points.
The wine is available via the mailing list and current vintages run about $75.
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