When tasting a new wine, I always try to go through the standard approach: look at the wine, swirl the wine without ejecting it from your glass, stick your nose in and smell, sip (of course), and hopefully savor the after taste.
For this Syrah, I wish I had paid more attention after swirling – the thick legs correctly predicted a higher alcohol content. So when I stuck my nose in and inhaled deeply, I promptly burned my nostrils.
At 14%, this is a wine to enjoy slowly or with good company. It has my favorite characteristics in a red, and it reminded me of a Zinfandel with its blackberry and black cherry aromas and resulting jammy flavors.
But it is without a doubt a Syrah.
The rich purple color was so dark I couldn’t see the bottom of my glass. Hints of pepper and smoky leather were definitely present and overtook the fruit flavors towards the end. Combined with the slight burn of alcohol, the finish reminded me of scotch.
The grapes are grown in red clay and limestone and blended together to give this a soft texture and mouthfeel. Its good now, but I have a feeling that in two years, this will turn to velvet and just melt on your palate. The vineyard has been operated by this family since 1490 and they definitely know what they’re doing.
I always like to pair wine with something and this went really well with the dark chocolate I had in my fridge. I could also see this going well with a flour-less chocolate torte or a sausage pizza.
