Tag Archives: syrah

L’Oiseau du Paradis Rosé 2025, Coteaux d’Aix-en-Provence, France

14 Friday Aug 2026

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Pale to medium salmon colored with a watery sheen (12.5% ABV).  The nose has medium intensity aromas of white strawberry, cranberry, white blossom, tangerine peel and white grapefruit pith.  The palate is dry, with medium (+) acidity and a light body.  Medium intensity flavors lead to a decent, mid length finish that has a refreshing zing.  This wine has a bit of oomph to it, I like that.  It’s a blend of 40% Syrah, 30% Grenache, 15% Carignan, and 15% Cabernet Sauvignon.  It gets 90 points from me and for the $15 price tag- 5 stars.  Drink now.  Salut….

L'Oiseau du Paradis RoséCoteaux d’Aix-en-Provence

LYV Rose NV, IGP Pays d’Oc, France

14 Friday Aug 2026

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Pale strawberry colored with low viscosity (12% ABV).  The nose has medium (-) intensity aromas of strawberries, white cherry, cranberry, citrus and white blossom. The palate is dry, with medium acidity, and a light body. Medium intensity flavors are very pleasant and echo the nose. The finish is medium (-) in length and very refreshing. I’m really enjoying this on a hot summer day. 88 points for this $15 bottle makes it a 4 star wine. Drink now.  Salut….

 

LYV Rose

Gabriel Meffre Tavel Saint-Ferreol Rose 2024, Rhone, France

26 Sunday Jul 2026

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Medium salmon colored, with low viscosity (13% ABV).  The nose has medium (-) intensity aromas of strawberry, lemon zest, orange blossom, lanolin, and hint of white cherry.  The palate is dry, with medium (+) acidity and a medium (-) body.  Medium intensity flavors lead to a somewhat short finish.  I was hoping for a bit more out of this $22 offering, akin to the 2022 vintage I recently tasted.  This one gets 87 points and 2 stars from me.  Drink soon.  Salut….

Gabriel Meffre Tavel Saint-Ferreol Rose

Paul Jaboulet Aîné Hermitage La Chapelle, Rhone, France

04 Saturday Jul 2026

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The last wine in the virtual wine tasting series was this stunner.  I picked three different level Rhône wines and our tasting culminated in this legendary Hermitage.  Deep ruby colored with high viscosity (15.5% ABV).  Intense aromas of ripe blackberry pie, smoked brisket, black grape jam (jammy jam as one taster joked), leather, tobacco, etc.  The palate was dry, with medium (-) acidity, a full body, and medium (+) tannins.  Intense flavors and a long finish is all I could write as I sat there and contemplated life, wine, happiness, perfection and richness of flavor and balance.  This is an immense wine, with a structure built to last decades, even the cork was extra long.  An amazing wine that showcases the best of Rhône Syrah.  I gave it a perfect score on our tasting sheet and reckon it’s in the top 3 wines our group has ever drunk- over 175 bottles and counting.  From a technical point of view, this $153 effort gets 95 points at the minimum, maybe higher, earning it a 5 star rating.  I realize it is expensive, but this is such a treat that’s drinking beautifully yet will evolve over time to be even better.  I wish I had a long term cellar so I could stuff a few away.  Salut….

Paul Jaboulet Aîné Hermitage La Chapelle

Kirkland Signature Côtes de Provence Rosé 2025, Provence, France

13 Saturday Jun 2026

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Pale strawberry colored, with a watery sheen (12.5% ABV).  The nose has medium intensity aromas of lemon pith, tangerine zest, macerated cherry, white strawberry, orange blossom, and a touch of crunchy cranberry.  The palate is dry, with high acidity, and a medium (-) body.  Medium (+) intensity flavors are citrus driven, but the strawberry/cranberry notes are present.  The finish is medium (+) in length and zesty from the acidity, which keeps the wine very refreshing.  On the very back end there is a touch of bitterness, probably from the skin contact, it’s an interesting addition to this delightful wine.  A blend of Grenache (39%), Consult (26%), Syrah (18%), and Vermentino (17%).  I paid under $9 for it and will go with 88 points, making it a 4 star effort to enjoy on a hot summer’s day.  Drink now.  Salut….

Kirkland Signature Rose' Cotes du Provence

Marchesi Antinori La Braccesca Bramasole Cortona Syrah 2021, Tuscany, Italy

09 Tuesday Jun 2026

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Very deep ruby colored, bordering on iodine, with medium viscosity (14.5%ABV).   The nose has medium intensity aromas of charcoal, black plum, dried herb, very ripe cassis, açai berry, Brambleberry, a hint of spice, and some vanilla. The palate is dry with medium (-) acidity, medium (+) body, and medium (+) tannins. Flavor intensity is higher than on the nose, really reaching for the dark fruit, some spice and finally a bit of game and iron. The finish is medium (+) in length. Delicious. 92 points for this $51 bottle makes it a 5 star wine to enjoy till 2032.   Salut….

Marchesi Antinori La Braccesca Bramasole Cortona Syrah

Saxum Vineyards Broken 2016, Stones Paso Robles, California

05 Sunday Apr 2026

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Deep ruby colored, with moderate staining, and a medium viscosity (15.9% ABV).  On the nose I get medium (+) intensity aromas of ripe black plum, blackberry, purple licorice, vanilla, baking spice, coffee, eucalyptus, black pepper, game, and alcohol.  It’s hard to hide the whopping near-16%, but they did the best they could.  The palate is dry, with medium (+) acidity, a full body, and medium (+) tannins that are silky and powdery.  Medium (+) intensity flavors caress my mouth- rich, ripe and smooth, with deft oak.  The ten years of aging this wine has received has really smoothed it out.  The tannins are noteworthy.   The evolution has just begin as the fruit softens and tertiary development begins.  It’s a young wine with another two decades of cellaring capacity.  The finish is long, black fruit-driven and delicious.  The alcohol is not noticeable on the palate strangely enough, just of the initial whiff.  An amazing blend of Syrah, Mataro, Grenache, Tempranillo, Petite Sirah with a touch of Roussane.  95 points from me for this $150 effort, which has to get 5 stars.  Salut….

Saxum Vineyards Broken Stones

Glenelly Estate Reserve Red 2017, Stellenbosch, South Africa

05 Sunday Apr 2026

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The closer at our 43rd virtual wine tasting was this banger from Stellenbosch.  A lovely wine that I have drunk older vintages of and it did not disappoint.  The tasting group noted how opaque it was with a deep garnet color, slight staining, and medium viscosity (14.5% ABV).  The nose had medium (+) intensity aromas of floral perfume, thrift shop, mangrove, ocean spray, leather, licorice, coffee, and vanilla.  That’s quite an interesting set of descriptors, but then again, there was a decent sized crowd at this tasting.  The palate was dry, with medium (-) acidity, a full body, and high tannins.  Medium (+) intensity flavors echoed the nose but we also got some blackberry, black cherry, and green pepper- consistent with the blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Syrah, Petit Verdot and Cabernet Franc.  Delicious but young- this wine will cellar nicely till 2037 if it’s at all like it’s older siblings.  91 points from me and 17/20 on our tasting sheet.  We paid $22 last August, making this an amazing deal and worthy of 5 stars.  Salut….

Glenelly Estate Reserve Red

Betts & Scholl Hermitage Rouge 2001, Rhone Valley, France

01 Thursday Jan 2026

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Medium garnet colored with definite bricking, and a medium viscosity (13.5% ABV).  The nose of this 25 year old wine has medium (_) intensity aromas of prune, caramel, burnt coffee, dates, steamed blackberry, cracked black pepper, marzipan, and a herbal note.  The palate is dry, with medium acidity, a medium (-) body, and low tannins.  Unfortunately it’s way over the hill and quite sour tbh.  There is no pleasure here, which should have been evident by the dried out cork that refused to come out.  Sucha a shame as I paid $35 on spec for this a few months ago.  Salut….

betts & Scholl Hermitage rouge

Domaine la Guintrandy Louise d’Agoult 20, Beaumes de Venise, France

13 Saturday Dec 2025

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Medium ruby colored with medium viscosity (14.5% ABV).  Medium intensity aromas of black plum, black raspberry, cracked pepper, bacon, green herbs, licorice, and açaí berry.  The palate is dry with medium acidity, a full body and medium tannins.  Medium (+) intensity flavors, with black pepper being the most noticeable.  The tannins sneak up on the mid palate.  The finish has a slight green note and is medium in length.  Decent cellaring capacity unless you like a fresh wine with a slightly tannic mouthfeel.  A blend of Grenache and Syrah from the Southern Rhone that gets 90 points from me.  At $15 it’s a 5 star wine to drink till 2030.  Salut….

Domaine la Guintrandy Louise d'Agoult Beaumes de Venise