Lacules Estate — Syrah 2018

The Syrah 2018 from Lacules Estate was the big surprise of an extensive tasting of Greek Syrah wines. Compared to the 2019 from the same estate, which was also tasted (94 points), the difference was striking. Smoke, vanilla, texture, fruit — all beautifully balanced. Utterly speechless. This wine is in phenomenal territory, just ahead of the Nostos 2017 from Manousakis Winery (96 points), which faded noticeably over the following days, while the Lacules still stood rock-solid. A phenomenal 98+ points — and the plus sign is very deliberate here, because unlike several other wines in the tasting that suggest a shorter aging potential for Greek Syrah, this wine is truly made for the cellar. In fact, never before has such an indestructible Greek wine come into the hands of the tasting team. The very thick-walled, light-proof bottle even passed the 'terrace test' with flying colors: despite spring temperatures and direct sunlight, the wine was still drinkable after a full month — indeed, even enjoyable. Unbelievable.