Murray 2008 Syrah Red Mountain

A Rhone Style Red by Hightower Cellars

While I was out visiting Red Mountain today, I stopped by Hightower Cellars for a tasting. My last visit to Hightower Cellars was two years ago. I was there as a volunteer helping bottle several hundred cases of wine. That was also the day I had too much heat and was put to rest on the tasting room floor (read about my embarrassment here).

Today Tim and Kelly Hightower were not around, but the friendly tasting room manager was. She was a great hostess and very knowledgeable about the current releases.

The current tasting line-up, they are all good.

All of the Hightower wines I sampled today were very good. While these are all red wines, I'm told there is an upcoming white wine release, soon, soon. Okay, enough already, what I came home with was a bottle of their 2008 Murray Syrah.

That's Murray on the bottle.

This wine is named after Tim and Kelly's first winery dog, Murray - his picture is on the bottle. What's especially interesting for me is, this is only the second bottling of Syrah from Hightower Cellars. Two years ago Tim told me he was planning an estate Rhone style wine; which is Syrah with a touch of Viognier. Unhappily, I missed the 2007 vintage. Happily, I'm enjoying the 2008 vintage right now.

Oh, you lovely Syrah. I'm groovin' on this wine. Rich aroma of violets, candied dark berries, with what I interpret as a cross between licorice and root beer (like those barrel shaped rootbeer candies), touch smoky with some pepper too. I'm finding the complex nose fascinating, which follows through in the mouth, with good acidity, medium tanins and a lip smaking finish. Ooh, the wine is opening up and getting even better.

This lovely Rhone style blend is 95% estate Syrah and 5% estate Viognier. The grapes were hand picked and hand sorted. This is a lovely vintage. I paid $20 at the winery for this delicious bottle of Syrah.

They have one of the best views on Red Mountain.

Please, I encourage you to visit Red Mountain and taste at Hightower Cellars. While they are the last winery on Red Mountain (at the very top of Sunset Road, turn left onto the gravel road, they are on the right-hand side) it is worth your time and money to visit. So glad I went to Red Mountain today. Thanks Kelly and Tim, this is another winner in your portfolio of great wines. Kudos!

Their tasting room is open Friday, Saturday and Sunday from 11AM - 5PM.

Phone: 509-588-2867
Email: handsorted@hightowercellars.com

Cheers!

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