Tamaya Syrah from Chile’s Limarí Valley

The Limarí Valley is one of the northernmost winemaking regions in Chile, about 75 miles south of the Elqui Valley.  Remember, Chile is in the southern hemisphere which means that north is closer to the equator and therefore a warmer region than those further south.  And although north generally means warmer in this part of the world, these vineyards reside in a cool maritime stretch of land that offers a good balance between the cool ocean air and the dry heat from the interior.

Casa Tamaya is still a relatively young winery.  It began as a fruit farm and evolved into wine production.  At first they grew grapes for sale to other wine makers and eventually decided to create their own winery.  The first vintage from the Casa Tamaya winery was 2002, so this bottle is only the fourth vintage from this producer.

This isn’t as big as most Syrah I’ve had.  The nose has jammy blackberry and plum aromas, along with some salami and leather aromas.  The palate is both quite tannic and quite acidic.  In fact for me it’s too tannic for serving right now, I’d lay it down in the cellar for a couple more years and it will probably be a much better wine.  Plum, blackberry and sour cherry flavors dominate the palate, along with a little black pepper.

All told, it’s not a bad wine, but it is lacking some complexity.  It’s a little more approachable and food friendly than a lot of Syrah I’ve had recently.  It will be interesting to see how this wine improves over time.

Wine: Tamaya
Variety: Syrah
Vintage: 2006
Alcohol: 14%
Rating: 85
Price: $14.99

Find Casa Tamaya Syrah with Snooth