Tag Archives: syrah

Chateau de Beaucastel Chateauneuf-du-Pape 2012, Rhone, France

20 Wednesday Apr 2022

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It’s my birthday so this treat got pulled to go along with char-grilled New York Strip steaks.  At 10 years of age it is still deep ruby colored with no signs of bricking.  The nose is intense with gorgeous aromas of ripe raspberry, red licorice, violets, red plums, vanilla, garigue, coffee and black cherry- it is amazingly complex and the smells are making my mouth water.  The palate is dry, slightly tannic and delicious.  Super smooth and full bodied, this blend of Grenache, Cinsault, Mourvèdre and Syrah presents a mouthful of flavors and great structure from the medium firm tannins that are integrating nicely along with medium (+) acidity.  The finish is quite long and tends toward red and sour cherry with raspberry supporting.  The tannins are fine grained on the back end and caress my gums ever so.  A beautiful wine that is in youth right now and will drink well till 2030 at the least.  94 points for this silky smooth $100 offering makes it a 5 star wine to be opened at special occasions.  Salut….

Chateau Juvenal Ventoux ‘La Terre du Petit Homme’ 2016, Rhone, France

03 Sunday Apr 2022

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From the Southern Rhone comes this blend of Grenache 50%, Syrah 40% and Mourvedre 10%.  It will hopefully go well with my braised Lamb shanks.  The wine is medium ruby in color with quite a full-on nose of red raspberry, baking spice, pepper, blueberry compote, game, oak-derived vanilla and blackberry- quite an array of complexity from the three varietals.  The palate is dry with dusty tannins, medium to full body and high alcohol (15.5% ABV).  Red and black fruit interlaced with spice, pepper and oak make for a yummy flavor profile that is quite earthy, gamy and austere.  The tannins are nicely integrated yet still showing plenty of grip, especially on the back end but balanced with medium acidity.  The finish is medium in length with the astringency lasting a lot longer.  I like this rustic wine- 91 points worth and for $25 it gets 5 stars.  Drink till 2028 with hearty stews, braises or a hunk of meat on the grill.  Salut….

E. Guigal Cotes du Rhone 2018, France

23 Wednesday Mar 2022

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I was at a wine class last night and this GSM blend was one of the wines we tasted.  Having recently tried the 2016 vintage I wanted to re-visit this as a follow on.  It is deep ruby, bordering on purple.  The nose has medium (+) intensity aromas of black raspberry, black plum, blackberry, mint? and white pepper.  The palate of this dry wine has medium tannins, medium (-) acidity, medium body, medium (+) intensity flavors of the black fruit already mentioned and a cassis-like sweetness on the mid palate.  There is very little oak influence that I can sense.  The finish is mid length and grippy.  I like this very serviceable wine that runs $15 and gets 91 points from me.  I would drink this with strip steak till 2026.  5 stars.  Salut….

 

Klein Constantia ‘Anwilka’ 2015, Stellenbosch, South Africa

20 Sunday Mar 2022

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This blend, based on Syrah, was brooding in the glass.  Deep ruby, opaque AF and sporting a 14% ABV.  Our Virtual Wine Tasting group found it to be funky with pepper, smoked meat, blackcurrant jam, prune, black licorice, Sambucca and an earthy component.  On the palate we agreed that this was a very tannic wine- still too young with aerating/decanting a must.  Medium (-) acidity, medium (+) body and a medium length finish.  Flavors of Maraschino and Luxardo cherries were evident, as was Espresso, Lapsang Souchong tea, pepper and blackcurrants.  This was not a crowd favorite but I did mention to the group that it’s a very complex wine that needs more time to open up and allow the fruit to shine through the tannic veil.  I will re-taste over the next few days.  From me this is blockbuster gets 19/20 VWTC points and technically speaking- 92 pts.  At $60 one might me hesitant to pop-n-pour but some extra cellaring will make this wine shine.  5 stars with a drinking window of 2024-2030.  It needs a juicy Ribeye or Prime Rib with horseradish.  Salut….

Xavier Vignon “SM” Côtes du Rhône NV, Rhone, France

15 Tuesday Mar 2022

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I’m having Cassoulet for dinner.  For grins I went online to see what others would pair with this rustic French dish of white beans, Duck Confit and sausage.  Well, well- they all recommended a French wine, with deference to the southern regions.  This bottle is a 50/50 blend of old vine Grenache and old vine Syrah from the North and Southern Rhone.  It is slightly cloudy and a deep shade of ruby.  The nose has pronounced aromas of black plum, black raspberry, smoke, meat, licorice, espresso, açaí and black pepper.  That’s quite complex for a $20 bottle!  The palate is tannic right off the bat.  Black fruit and red fruit combine with spice and oak nuance that are all enveloped in a mouth coating dryness from the tannins along with juicy acidity.  Full bodied, this 14.5% ABV wine is a not for the feint of heart- it is full throttle with the fruit, the tannins, the acidity and the mouthfeel.  It has a mid length finish that remains quite mouth-puckering from the relentless tannic grip.  I hope my dish mellows this 92 point wine out somewhat!  Being an NV, I am not sure when it was made but this bottle will last till 2030 at the least.  5 stars.  Salut….

Domaine la Soumade Rasteau 2016, Rhone, France REVISITED

10 Thursday Mar 2022

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I last drank this wine three years ago and did not care for it- 88 points with the disclaimer to try again.  Well, I opened another bottle last night and was pleasantly surprised- and I figured out why.  It’s a blend of 70% Grenache, 20% Syrah, 10% Mourvedre.  That last component is what threw me initially.  Mourvedre has a meaty, gamey, herby flavor profile which sets it off from other varietals, especially when young.  I think it was not expected back when I first tasted it nor did I care for the flavor.  I have matured somewhat in tasting wine and definitely expanded my palate somewhat.

Inky and opaque, this wine is a deep purple color.  The nose has pronounced aromas of black fruit, game, green herbs, charred oak, licorice and white pepper.  The palate is dry, with gripping/young tannins.  The acidity is quite high in this full bodied wine. The bold, black fruit flavors are enveloped in searing tannins on the mid palate.  The oak influence and gamey notes play second fiddle to blackberry, black plum and graphite.  This is not a wine to serve to the uninitiated- it’s not a sipping wine either.  It needs a big, juicy hunk of meat, either beef or lamb to mellow out the tannins and complement the bold flavors.  I can see why the pros went upwards of 95 points on this $20+ wine.  I’m thinking 92.  It gets 5 stars technically, but like I said, be ready for a different beast with this one.  Drink till 2030.  Salut….

Castello Romitorio ‘Romitoro’ Toscana IGT 2019, Tuscany, Italy

28 Monday Feb 2022

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This Tuscan blend of Petit Verdot and Syrah is a deep shade of ruby, bordering on purple in the glass.  The nose has pronounced aromas of violet, black plum, cedar, a touch of fresh funk, spice box and maduro.  The palate is quite zippy and fresh.  Dry, with gentle tannins and medium acidity it has a medium weight body and yummy flavors.  Plum, cedar, spice, maduro ( a dark tobacco), blackberry and that funk- perhaps a mushroom scent?  The mouthfeel is staggeringly smooth and delicious.  This wine is seamless in its component makeup.  The tannins are very nicely integrated, the acidity is balanced and the depth of fruit is great.  The finish is medium to long.  My only concern is the funk that is very persistent.  It is ever present and distracting, knocking a point off the total.  Overall this is a very good wine that gets 91 points from me and at $19- 5 stars.  I am pairing with meatballs and red sauce.  Drink till 2026. Salut….

Peachy Canyon Cirque du Vin Red 2017, Paso Robles, California

23 Sunday Jan 2022

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Almost opaque, this dark ruby colored ‘Red Wine’ is a blend of Petite Sirah, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Syrah that rings in at 13.9% ABV.  The nose has rich black plum, blackberry coulis, licorice and vanilla.  The palate is meh…  Tart, dry and lacking depth of fruit.  I do get some blackberry and plum but I’m missing the oak nuance, the licorice and am distracted by the sourness.  The tannins are medium (+) and the wine is mid weight.  The finish is short, TG.  Not impressed by this $18 wine (I paid $10) that gets 84 points from me.  1 star and a major pass. I’m pairing it with leftover Lasagna.  Salut….

Chateau Kefraya Les Breteches 2018, Bekaa Valley, Lebanon

28 Tuesday Dec 2021

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I am cooking Middle Eastern fare so this blend of 40% Syrah, 25% Cab Sav, 20% Tempranillo and 15% Cinsault should go nicely.  It’s a deep ruby, almost opaque.  I get spices and brambly fruit on the nose.  Black currants, blackberry, plum and licorice.  There is also a smell that I can only describe as ‘purple fruit’.  It is mesmerizing.  The palate is dry with juicy acidity, nicely integrated tannins and lots of brooding dark fruit.  The purple factor is missing but I do get some meaty undertones along with some oak nuance by way of charred wood and the spices I caught on the nose.  Medium weight body and decently long finish.  The tannins are a little more grippy on the back end and balance out the acidity nicely, which is exactly what I need for the fatty lamb kofta skewers.  I like this wine, the varietals each contribute nicely to the package and it has good mouthfeel, even though it is still youthful.  I would drink till 2028 at the least.  This $15 wine gets 89 points from me and 4 stars.  Salut….

Xavier Vignon Lirac 2016, Rhone, France

26 Sunday Dec 2021

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This blend of Grenache and Syrah is semi opaque and shows off a bright ruby color in the glass.  The legs are-a-watering- with 15% ABV that is to be expected.  The nose is quite exuberant- plums, raspberry, red licorice, blueberry pie, bacon fat, violets and charcoal.  The palate is dry with caressing tannins and medium acidity that keeps the fruit fresh.  Medium bodied- the red and blue fruits are quite pronounced and the meaty component alongside oak nuance is present as well.  The finish is medium in length and has a tannic grip for a while.  There is a slight imbalance that I cannot point a finger at that will detract a point or two.  Drinking nicely now this wine will pair with rich meaty stews, venison roasts or pasta till 2026.  90 points from me for this $20 effort makes it a 5 star wine.  Salut….