Two wines a friend served at dinner last night:
2018 Liminal Winery Syrah High Canyon Series WeatherEye Vineyard Red Mountain
My first Liminal! Liminal is a spendy new ultra premium wine from an established WA winery called Avennia. I'm pretty sure this was the first vintage. Decanted three hours before dinner, this syrah shows saturated black cherry and blueberry fruit accented by light lactic notes, vanilla, licorice and beef teriyaki. Cashmere smooth with only the vaguest suggestion of tannins, it's a uniquely plush and modern new world syrah in tone and texture. Might be at peak, as it doesn't have the kind of structure I associate with long-term aging (but I've been fooled before). Either way, it's gorgeous now, but if Rhone style is what you want and expect this isn't for you.
2019 Two Vintners Syrah Some Days Are Diamonds Horse Heaven Hills
Black and roasted red fruits with garrique, pepper, and baked ham. Gritty tannins suggest this is going to an even better place than it's in now, but the grit probably seemed grittier because it followed the ultra-smooth Liminal syrah. Good now, but better days are ahead, say 2027-2030.