Lillian Winery

Lillian Winery

California Dundee Syrah 2008

Round and plush and delicious. Great fruit. Not too much alcoholic sting — a month ago

Peter NelsonGregg GRick K
with Peter, Gregg and 1 other
Shay, LM and 7 others liked this

Law Estate Wines

The Nines by Law Grenache 2016

Shay A
9.4

I’ve had a few Law wines and have enjoyed them all, but this bottle of “The Nines” was a total stunner. In a lineup of 16 bottles of Grenache (Andremily, SQN, Fingers Crossed, Saxum, Lillian, Alban, Pegau Capo, Prefert, Clarendon Hills, etc), this was one of the more surprising wines of the day (in a good way).

100% Grenache. Removed the cork for about an hour ahead of time. Undeniable Grenache aromatics of red florals, cherry/kirsch liqueur, black peppered strawberries, and fruitcake. As Grenache so wonderfully does, it has a weightless yet commanding palate…kaleidoscope of red and black berries, sweet jerky, and an interplay of both sweet and spicy spices. Doesn’t show whole cluster/green hints like some of the others, and it also doesn’t show overwhelming vanilla/oak tannin either. Elegant and delicious.

May have underscored this…
— 2 months ago

Tom, Andrew and 24 others liked this
James K

James K

Shared a bottle of the Audacious with @Paul K
Paul K

Paul K

I think the three of us need to get together to discuss… @Shay A @James K
Eric Urbani

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@Shay A one of the great Paso producers!

Lillian Winery

Gold Series No. 03 Syrah

Shay A
9.5

Last of a 3-pack and another wine (and producer) that I always ask “why don’t I buy more of this?”, especially as prices climb for so many others, yet these stay fairly consistent. Consumed from bottle over the course of an afternoon.

Gold label (extended barrel age). It’s tempting to want to compare these to SQN (or Andremily) due to winemaker, and while they share many similarities, Lillian seems to have a more elegant and floral profile. Deep black/purple in the glass, immediately smells of green whole cluster spice, black peppercorn, lavender and black berry fruit. The palate is very spice driven (herbal, pepper), with ripe red and dark fruit (raspberries, blackberries), and potpurri. Nothing about this is rich or extracted. Still sports a grippy finish, but the acidity right now keeps this well balanced. May get a tiny bit better, but this seems to be in the zone at the moment.
— 2 years ago

Tom, Steve and 36 others liked this
Bryan Kesting

Bryan Kesting Premium Badge

Agree Shay. Nice note.
Shay A

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@Bryan Kesting : You were the first person to open one of the gold labels for me! Hope to see you back down this way soon, my friend!
Norman Gennaro

Norman Gennaro Premium Badge

Like both and think you might have put me in them way back when? Found them at K&L which makes it easy for me to add given the cellar is over loaded

Tench Estate

Lilian John Oakville Red Bordeaux Blend 2021

4th of the K Laz tasting - this is the Lillian John blend - maybe it’s too young but find it very thin - apparently next door to Screaming Eagle but pretty sure this is a very pale imitation - nose is slightly off, good fruit but again on the sour side — 10 days ago

Paul liked this

Lillian Winery

Gold Series No. 1 Syrah 2013

It’s an Oregon wine for sure and by that I mean way lighter in body than a CA Syrah. The flavor and finish is not at all dialed down. It’s got a great nose, edge on the palate and a very long finish. — 4 months ago

Bob, Shay and 3 others liked this
Norman Gennaro

Norman Gennaro Premium Badge

Interesting. Her style is way lighter at least compared to the other bien nacido wines I have had.
Norman Gennaro

Norman Gennaro Premium Badge

Thanks for the info @Shay A
Shay A

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@Norman Gennaro : I agree with you. Not sure how much of it has to do with the other vineyards, use of whole cluster, when she picks, etc. I really like the Lillian Syrahs…I need to find more!

Lillian Winery

California Syrah

Black and blue fruited. Smokey, meaty, with a dark berry, sweet finish. — 9 months ago

Tom, Paul and 5 others liked this

The Glories

No. 02 Chardonnay Blend

I feel glorious, glorious. Macklemore

A chance to try the Glories, Antica Terra, and Lillian wines by Maggie Harrison. These were spectacular. Truly elegant wines. (The Glories were 2018 & ‘19, Syrah was 2013). @Classic Wine & Storage
— 2 years ago

Severn, Ira and 6 others liked this
Shay A

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Love Lillian and Antica Terra wines. Wish they would have poured at Fort Worth too!
Deborah M

Deborah M

@Shay A bummer they didn’t get out there. We had a few South Lake and Frisco people in for the tasting. Definitely try to catch it when they are back in the area, it’s a great one.

Kobayashi Winery

WeatherEye Vineyard Syrah 2020

Shay A
9.3

I’m fortunate to have had a lot of Kobayashi wines, both with and without Travis, but his “regular” Syrah is a wine I’ve probably had the least amount of times. I brought this as a part of a massive Syrah lineup (‘83 Voge Cornas, ‘91 Chapoutier Hermitage, ‘18 SamiOdi HD, ‘13 and ‘20 Lillian, etc) and it showed very well.

Compared to Travis’s other wines, this showed very primary/fruit forward. Deep purple in the glass and the aromatics were, astoundingly, similar to the ‘18 SamiOdi HD next to it (sweet perfume/potpurri)…so deeply floral and intoxicatingly intriguing. The palate is commanding with an interplay of ripe and juicy black berry fruit and savory/smoky notes toward the finish with just a kiss of sweet blue fruit. The finish is massively structured (even after following this for a few days). Wish I had an older vintage to see how these evolve, but it’s undeniably balanced and a tasty expression of WA state Syrah.
— a month ago

Tom, Jan and 24 others liked this

Lillian Winery

California Roussanne 2017

Shay A
9.2

My last of three bottles. The first one back in early 2021 and second one last year both showed a more fresh and vibrant profile, whereas this seemed a bit more evolved.

Gold in the glass. Right off the bat, the aromatics here are honeyed and semi-rich. Honeysuckle, but mostly Truffle honeycomb and those Bit-O-Honey candies come to mind. Didn’t detect any orange marmalade type profile I normally get with roussanne. On the palate, the honeyed notes continue with only real faint fruit notes (peach, dragonfruit). Quiet zing of acidity to keep the wine from being flabby, but it has a distinct texture.

Followed over two days and held strong. I’d rather drink these sooner rather than later, at least this vintage.
— 5 months ago

Jan, Ted and 29 others liked this