Tag Archives: syrah

J.L. Chave Selection Offerus, St. Joseph 2006

11 Saturday Aug 2012

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The nice thing about buying multiple bottles is the ability to watch it age, take on different nuances and evolve into a secondary wine.  I have had three bottles of this wine over the last 3 years, each one bringing different flavors to the glass.  This wine is a Syrah from the northern Rhone that weighs in at 13.5 % alcohol.  I wish I had taken notes of the previous bottles, dang…  Anyway, this is a good wine.  Not typical Syrah, but well crafted with fine tannins that caress.  Dark fruits on the nose give into a red raspberry thing for me.  I grilled some Ribeye steaks on a charcoal grill just to complement this wine- I was spot on.  The structure of this wine went beautifully with the somewhat fatty cut of beef.  I imagine this wine will last another 5 years at least, and hopefully evolve some more.  I imagine a little earthiness coming out in a few years.  A solid 4 star effort and perhaps a 90 pointer that will run you about $30.

Domaine de Dionysis, Cairanne la Cigalette ’09

04 Wednesday Jan 2012

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Wow, bang-for-the-buck stuff folks. Run, don’t walk to the nearest place that sells this QPR beast.
From the Rhone region of France, it is a blend of Grenache, Syrah, Mouvedre and Carignan that sings “Drink Me”. On the nose, very good initial flavors typical of the blend, on the first taste, great balance of fruit, tannins and acidity. I did not pay much for this gem, only to find out it got a 90 point pro rating from the boys at WS. A five star effort in my opinion as it delivers everything.
The Rhone blends are a great way to enjoy the variety of grapes that they use. On the mid-palate this wine shows really nice complexity, no doubt from the different grapes. The tannins are very smooth, non-obtrusive and have the strength to hold this wine until 2015 at the earliest. Seriously, this is some good shiz that needs to be searched out. Another gem in the French wine arena that doesn’t over-charge and under-perform. Yay

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Trivento Syrah ’07

09 Wednesday Nov 2011

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Smoooooooth.  Unanimous in our initial impression, this wine is great.  Kudos to Trivento, this is a really good Syrah.  I enjoyed their Malbec Golden Reserve, but this one is stunning and really balanced.  Full of fruit, soft tannins and a crowd pleasing palate, this one  is a 5 star winner.  I can’t say much more, except that a 92 point rating would be awarded if I were a pro.  Well done, looking forward to trying more from the Trivento line!

Jaboulet Hermitage La Chapelle ’99

23 Sunday Oct 2011

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Iconic, pricey, and not so good. The label states that this wine will mature for 30 years, in Great Vintages. 1999 was not. It doesn’t help that the quality of this Domaine has declined since then either. Often seen on the auction circuit, the reputation of this wine is fearsome, but in 1999 something went amiss. I bought a case on discount, hoping for the critics to be wrong, they averaged 90 points, agreed.
Tonight, the nose is almost cooked, the wine highly alcoholic in taste even though it’s only 13.5%. The fruit is non-existent and the tertiary flavors have not evolved. The producers of Hermitage won a law suit against Penfolds in Australia preventing them from using the name Hermitage on their Grange bottlings. Perhaps they should have spent more time making it than defending its name.
I bought these bottles in 2002, and the decline started happening in 2006. I thought is was passing a “dumb” period- wrong. This stuff is over the hill and I’m assigning it to the “hurry up and drink the rest” bin, giving it 2 stars. Don’t bother looking for it, waste of cash and cellar space.

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Les Douze ’08

16 Sunday Oct 2011

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Here’s an interesting one for you….  In the south of France, vignerons compete to be included in the blend for that year’s offering of Les Douze (translated into the twelve).  These 12 wines are blended from Syrah, Carignan and Grenache, all Rhone varietals.  Every year the wine changes as the entries are evaluated and blended, producing an eclectic mix from year to year.  I had high hopes for this wine, and was not disappointed, even though I drank it way too young.  The dryness was a little overpowering, but promises to keep the wine healthy as it ages and develops.  A very interesting concept of putting the best wines forward and compiling a unique wine every year.  The co-op claims a full bodied effort that offers spice, can’t disagree there.  Forward thinkers like these guys are on the front running of giving the boys up north a lesson in quality versus price.  When the hype of Bordeaux dies down, they will be left holding the bag while these kinds of wine makers will have stolen the hearts and wallets of the sensible everyday wine drinker.  Well done you lot!  5 stars and an enviable 90 pointer from the novice over here.