Shay A

9.3

93-94

I believe this was the inaugural vintage for Lillian’s Grenache. I am a fan of Maggie’s wines and while I was sadly priced out of Antica Terra years ago, Lillian remains a nice value for this style (central coast Rhône style). Maggie has a unique touch to her wines.

Similar to her Syrah, this Grenache represents a nice middle ground between SQN (bigger, more oak, more ripeness) and cool-climate producers (more acidity, less oak/new oak, more whole cluster, etc). At almost 10yrs, this wine is likely in the zone. Very Grenache. Deep red in the glass. Nose was a bit shy initially but blossomed on day two (violet, dark florals, brambly red and black fruits, green/herb). Great palate…peppered rhubarb spice, fleshy black cherries, stemmy. Nimble on the mid-palate with good acidity but a powerful finish. Kiss of sanguine/iron too (more prevalent with some smoked meat that accompanied it).

Followed over two days. Slightly better the second day where the nose and palate caught up to each other. Wish I had another. Good to go in this profile for a few more years. — 8 days ago

KA

9.1

Lilian No 7 — 2 years ago

Deborah M

9.3

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 — 3 years ago

Michael Walker

9.7

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 — a year ago

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… — a year ago

Eric

9.5

Still a total baby. Needs a lot of air but after that a smooth beast. — 3 years ago

Kevin Cahoon

9.3

Bright, rich nose full of blackberry, plum and black current fruit with a hint of creamy oak. Fruit dominated palate with plum and blackberry with a lifting touch of acidity. Complex fruit driven finish with touches of road tar and soy. — 5 years ago

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 year ago

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. — 2 years ago

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. — 3 years ago