Syrah

A nice take on a Washington state Syrah.  Purple in color with some ruby swirls.  The nose has black cherries, cloves, black pepper and char.  Medium tannins.  Plenty of depth.  On the palate, black cherries with underlying minerality and char.  Good acidity.  Long finish.  This is still on the younger side but should drink well for another ten to fifteen years.  A nice choice with Beef Stew.  

Tensley is an excellent source for excellent wines at fair pricing.  This one is a blend of 75% Syrah and 25% Grenache.  This was a Magnum only release.  Purple in color, opaque and bright.  The nose is nice with black raspberries, black pepper, slight roasted herbs and a hint of floral notes.  Full bodied.  Medium tannins.  On the palate, this is delicious.  Black raspberry fruit with some pepper and underlying char.  Nice finish.  Drinking well now and should continue for another ten to twelve years.  Very nice on its own, this would also be nice with roasted vegetables.  

Having just recently tasted the 2017, it was interesting to try the 2018.  For my tastes, this was just a bit better than the 2017, but that is probably because it is more open and accessible.  Purple in color with ruby swirls, mostly clear and bright.  Very nice nose with black raspberries, black pepper, spice, slight fresh cut lumber and slight violets.  Medium to full bodied.  Firm tannins.  On the palate, this is drinking well if young.  Lots of black raspberry fruit.  Depth but tight.  Underlying char and spice.  A fair amount of oak on the finish.  This will get better and holding ano

A delicious cooler climate Syrah.  Purple in color, opaque and bright.  The nose has black raspberries, black pepper, slight bacon fat and black olives.  Medium to full bodied.  Light tannins.  On the palate, this is going strong.  Lots of black raspberry fruit with some black pepper.  Good balance.  Long finish.  Drink over the next eight to ten years.  Nice on its own, but works well with food.  It went well with a vegetarian sausage casserole.  

From the late Phillipe Cambie, this is 100% destemmed Grenache.  Purple in color with ruby swirls, mostly opaque and bright.  The nose is nice with black raspberries, black cherries, graphite, spices and roasted meat.  Full bodied.  Light tannins.  On the palate, black cherries with great minerality.  Not as big a wine as one might expect from Cambie.  Deep.  Delicious.  Nice finish.  Drink over the next ten years.  Nice on its own, but better with food.  This would work well with fried chicken.  

This is 100% Syrah grown in a cooler climate.  Purple in color, opaque and bright.  The nose is nice with black raspberries, black olives, and slight bacon fat.  With air, some herbal/woodiness comes out.  Full bodied.  Sinewy texture.  On the palate, this is delicious.  Light tannins but drinking tight and young.  It took about four hours to really open up.  Then black raspberries with underlying gravel and minerality.  Long finish.  This is drinking well now, but cellaring for five or so years will be rewarded.  Drink over the next ten to fifteen years.  Nice on its own, better with food.

This is a lighter in style Syrah from Santa Barbara.  Purple/ruby in color, mostly clear and bright.  The nose has black cherries, slight herbal notes and black pepper.  Medium bodied.  On the palate, black cherries with slight earthiness.  Moderate finish.  This is better with food.  A nice wine with pizza.  Drink now.  

This was from a 375ml bottle bought on release.  Purple in color, slightly flat, opaque.  The nose is dusty with black cherries, black raspberries, and some roasted meat.  Full bodied.  On the palate, this is past maturity but still with plenty to offer.  Nice complexity.  Black raspberry fruit with underlying char.  Good balance.  Nice finish.  These should be consumed soon.  Better with good.  Chili would work well.  

This is 100% Syrah.  Purple in color with slight ruby swirls.  The nose is great with black raspberries, black cherries, black olives and smoked meats.  Full bodied.  On the palate, black raspberries, salinity, and char.  Long finish.  This is drinking well now and should drink well for the next eight to twelve years.  It works well on its own and would work well with hearty meat or lamb based dishes.  

This is a blend of 96% Serine (a Syrah clone) and 4% Viognier.  Purple in color with ruby swirls, mostly opaque and bright.  The nose is great with black raspberries, smoke and black pepper.  Full bodied.  Light tannins.  On the palate, this is on the more elegant side of Cote Rotie.  Nice black raspberry fruit with some char.  Good finish.  This is drinking well now and should drink well for another seven to ten years.  It will work better with food.  This would go well with pork chops.