1986 Taltarni French Syrah

10 Oct 2010: I was given this bottle of wine as a leaving present from Loic Le Calvez, the COO and Chief Winemaker of Taltarni.  I thought I would save it for a special moment to open it.  A deep ruby hue.  Aromas of black cherry, red fruit, liquorice, cloves and herbal notes leapt out of the glass.  Medium-full body, firm acidity, with medium tannin but on the palate, the fruit did not quite show, initially.  I was intrigued enough to leave the wine in the decanter.  Every half hour, I went back to check the wine....a dramatic improvement resulted in the fourth hour of decanting when the wine suddenly regained a new life, took on more complexity and length; it started showing very pure ripe fruit, black cherries, blackberries, plums, liquorice, spices, cloves, black pepper, spicy oak, herbal.  On the palate, it reminded me of a cool climate Syrah, like a very well-made Cornas or Hermitage.  In fact, I kept the bottle for another day and it tasted as fresh as it did the day before.  Medium bodied, good level of acidity, softened tannin, plenty of fruit, medium length finish.  A very well made wine and true to its name of French Syrah, made in the Pyrenees of Australia!   What an amazing discovery!  A 24-year old Shiraz from Australia, made in the French style, and with only 13.2% alcohol!  Almost unheard of these days!