I am a big fan of the Lagier Meredith wines. For some reason, this is the first review on this site, but that will be corrected. Steve Lagier is a lifelong winery worker with impressive credits and associations going way back to Robert Mondavi. Carole Meredith is a retired oenology professor at UC - Davis and one of the preeminent wine grape DNA researchers. This winery is a two man team on top of a mountain. Despite PG&E turning off the power, these two didn't even blink. If there ever is a Zombie apocalypse, this is the place to be. First, it is way too steep for Zombie's to get up the mountain, second, they are self sufficient, and three, there is a lot of great wine. There Syrah is one of the better values in Napa wine and another example of why to include some Syrah in your cellar. I find their wines young and really do need a lot of time to develop and that has become more true since their first vintages in the late 90's. This one has a deep ruby color. The nose has black cherries, black raspberries, and a dusty note. With air, some roasted herbs come out and a bit of black pepper. On the palate, there is nice black raspberry fruit with slight blueberries. Light tannins that increased with air. Nice streak of acidity. Good finish. This is young and needs about seven to ten years to get to peak. Certainly some upside on scoring with some bottle age. It will go well with Asian foods, Mediterranean foods, and roasts and stews.
