Syrah

This was my personal favorite (the group's 2nd) in a recent blind tasting of Santa Barbara Syrahs.  Just a sensational bottle of wine,  Inky purple in color.  The nose has black raspberries, black coffee, white pepper and roasted meats.  Deep.  On the palate, this is delicious.  Black raspberry fruit over a clay-ish base.  It unwinds in the glass with lighter tannins.  Long finish.  This is a big wine but with a lovely elegance to it as well.  I doubt it gets better from here but easily has another decade or more left at this level.  It will go with bigger meats and stews.  

Purple in color, opaque and bright.  The nose is very nice with black raspberries, baking spice, black pepper and a bit of roasted meats.  On the palate, this is more black cherry than darker fruit.  Its ripe with firm tannins.  Drinking youthfully, this will benefit from air or further cellaring.  It has good acidity and a nice depth to it.  It will need bigger foods or drink it on its own.  In our group tasting the got four first place votes out of ten and was the groups WOTN.  

Tensley makes some of the best AND best value Syrahs anywhere.  This wine is outstanding.  Purple in color, ruby at the rim.  The nose is dusty with spice, black raspberries, slight black pepper and bit of coffee.  There is some volatile acidity on this wine.  Whether that is an issue depends on your tolerance.  On the palate, this is sweet and slightly cloying.  Ripe vs. Residual Sugar?  I think a bit of RS but not crazy.  Lots of black raspberry fruit.  Slightly cloying.  This is a tough fruit match but a tasty wine that drinks well on its own and will work with spicy foods.  

Ah, Daniel Boone.  RIP.  Sometimes Fess Parker wines get dissed by the cognoscenti.  That's too bad as they make really good wines at affordable prices.  This was purchased for $25 and was an excellent Syrah.  It kept getting better with air.  It probably needs a nice decant or a few more years in a cellar but it was very enjoyable right now.  Purple in color, ruby at the rim.  The nose is dusty with spice and black raspberries.  On the palate, this drinks delicious.  Juice acidity.  Black raspberry fruit with a softer texture.  Black olives.  It is sweet with what sees to be slight residua

I am not sure how proper a bottle this was.  Certainly, not as good as prior bottles I have had in the past.  Purple in color, clear and bright.  The nose is different.  Some black raspberry fruit but also cloves and a slight minty quality.  Very nice texture although there are still tannins.  Black raspberry fruit that starts out a bit bitter but then finishes a bit sweet.  This was a vintage that had rains at the end and perhaps at least some of these grapes may have been picked after the harvest as it is lighter than most vintages of this wine.  All that said, it is still a very good win

What a spectacular bottle of wine.  This will certainly be in the running for WOTY.  Pop and pour, it took around thirty minutes to really open.  Luckily, this was being share with just a couple of friends.  This wine is no longer the port-like monster of its youth.  It is still a big wine for Chave, but it is starting to have a certain control to it.  Purple/ruby in color.  The nose is amazing with black raspberries, violets, slight white pepper, minerals and earth.  On the palate, this has tight layers that unwind in the glass.  Black raspberries, white pepper and crushed rocks.  Long fin

Opened to watch the NCAA Championship Basketball game.  While still young, this is drinking nicely and provided a lot of enjoyment today.  Still, its best days are ahead and this should continue to improve.  Purple in color with ruby swirls.  On the nose, this has black raspberries, black pepper, slight bacon fat and slighter violets.  On the palate, this has firm tannins.  Juicy black raspberry fruit.  Showing layers of black raspberries, charcoal and earth.  Delicious.  Needs bigger foods.  This should easily last another decade and probably two.  

This is an excellent Syrah.  It drinks a lot like a St. Joseph or better Crozes-Hermitage.  Purple in color.  The nose has black raspberries, slight bacon fat, spice and slight damp earth.  On the palate, this is full bodied.  Juicy black raspberries that are ripe enough but just barely.  Great texture.  Medium tannins.  Great balance.  This will work with medium of heavier foods/spicy foods very well.  Drinking well now, it may still improve but should have another decade.  

Wow.  My first time trying this wine and it is spectacular.  Purple in color with a slight ruby rim.  The nose has toast, black raspberries and black pepper.  With air notes of soy sauce and black olives emerge.  Full bodied but this lovely silky but powerful texture.  On the palate, this has great boysenberry fruit with an underlying minerality.  It is deep and complex and persistent on the palate.  It is also delicious.  Long finish.  This will easily continue to improve for a decade and be good for another decade or two after that.  It worked great with a spicy pasta dish but would work

Ruby in color, some browning at the rim.  The nose is slightly dusty with black cherries and spice.  On the palate, this has some cherries and dried cherries with a bit of earthiness.  Good acidity.  Reasonably complex.  This is still alive and drinking well if perhaps a bit past prime.  It is surprisingly clean given the age and how Chateauneufs were produced back then.  It went well with a tomato cream soup and indeed, would work with a wide variety of foods.