Syrah

Wow.  This is truly a special wine.  Just gorgeous and will still get better.  Inky purple in color.  The nose has black raspberries, black pepper, slight lavender, and roasted meats.  On the palate, this has medium tannins.  A wonderful silky/lush texture.  Great energy.  Delicious black raspberry fruit layered with charred earth and black pepper.  Long finish.  This is a very unique take on high end Syrah.  It should continue to improve for five years and be god for twenty more after that.  It will go with roasted foods as well as Indian and much more.  

Purchased off a store shelf, pop and pour.  Inky purple in color.  The nose has black raspberries, charcoal, a slight floral note and with air some roasted meats.  On the palate, this is leaner bodied.  Slight tannins.  Black raspberry fruit with some earthiness.  The wine is drinking well already and doesn't seem like it will get much better.  It is very good right now though.  It will work great with stews and casseroles.  Drink over the next five to seven years.  

This is a nice, easy drinking rose from the south of France, made from Syrah, Cinsault and Grenache.  Light salmon/burnt orange in color.  The nose has watermelons and orange citrus.  On the palate, more viscous than expected.  It is dry.  13% ABV on the label.  Strawberries with a bit of bitterness on the finish.  Some warmth as well.  Priced at $14, this is a fine wine on its own on the back deck on a summer night and will work with some lighter foods too.  Drink this year.  

This bottle saw about 6 hours of air prior to be served.  That helped but it was not enough.  Torrin wines are fantastic but they do take time.  They are tight and tannic and concentrated on release and proper cellaring is rewarded.  Absent that a long decant is advised.  This wine is 40% Syrah, 33% Mourvedre, and 27% Grenache.

From Magnum.  This bottle was opened and allowed to breather for six hours prior to serving.  It needed every bit of that and more.  Inky purple in color.  The nose has black raspberries, black pepper, roasted herbs, slight earthiness and slight floral qualities.  Full bodied.  Firm tannins.  On the palate, lot of black raspberry fruit with a bit of roasted meats and black pepper.  Though there is a lot of fruit, this is not over ripe at all.  Juicy acidity works well with the food.  This is still young and will likely improve over the next five years.  The wine has already improved since t

This is a Syrah from Washington state.  I am not up on my Washington vintages but I don't recall 2011 as being special.  Hopefully, this wine shows better in better vintages.  Purple in color.  The nose has some generic black fruit.  On the palate, there is some boysenberry.  Not much depth.  A bit bitter on the finish.  It seems like it might be a bit past its prime.  If you have any, hopefully it shows a bit better.  

This was possibly the oldest EdB I have had and it was great.  Showing a bit of age but certainly not over the top.  Pop and pour, it improved on opening and then held constant for the evening.  Purple in color, some bricking at the rim.  The nose has cherries, some black cherries and baking spices.  On the palate, this has a nice texture.  Still lively but balanced acidity.  Cherries with a bit of earthiness and the baking spice finishes the palate.  I doubt it gets better from here but it certainly seems like it would have at least five more years before a slow decline.  This will go grea

I love the Andremily Syrah, but this was my first time trying the Mourvedre.  It was sensational.  It does contain 14% Syrah.  Inky purple in color.  The nose is great with grilled meats and slightly gamey meats (a good thing) along with black pepper, lavender and spice.  On the palate, this has a lush wonderful texture.  Plenty of acidity behind the fruit.  Very primary today.  Consumed over a few days, there really wasn't much difference.  Lots of black raspberry fruit with some black cherries and an underlying earthiness.  This will certainly take at least five and closer to ten years to

These are great values in Northern Rhone Syrah.  Fass Selections is their importer and distributor in the US.  For those looking for some different wines, sign up for their daily e-mail blasts of wines for direct sale.  While this will improve a bit with cellaring, it drinks well now, especially with a bit of air.  Purple in color, ruby swirls.  The nose is nice with black raspberries, roasted herbs and slight black pepper.  Medium bodied.  On the palate, the fruit is a bit lighter but still in the black raspberry vein.  An underlying minerality with some char.  Good acidity.  Nice finish. 

This is a 50/50 Syrah/Cabernet Sauvignon blend from the Bekaa valley in Lebanon.  It is a reasonably priced wine and well worth the price of admission.  Purple in color.  The nose has black raspberries, spice and a bit of char.  On the palate, this is tasty with black raspberry fruit.  This is about easy drinking in the near term.  No tannins.  It probably needs to be drunk soon at this point (it is already six years old).  It will go with a wide variety of foods.  Obviously mid-eastern foods come to mind, but it will work well with Indian foods too.