Syrah

Always one of my go to value wines, but that does this a disservice.  It is an excellent wine that if, I could keep my hands off, would probably age well for a decade.  But, that's not why I buy a case.  Purple in color, opaque and bright.  The nose is great with black raspberries, black pepper, grilled meats and spice.  Medium to full bodied.  Great balance and acidity.  On the palate, this is delicious.  Some level of complexity.  Open and drinking well.  Mild tannins.  This drinks easily on its own and would be a great pairing with a (veggie) burger.  Drink over the next ten years if you

Beautiful bottle (again) of this Syrah.  Purple in color, opaque and shimmering bright.  The nose has black raspberries, smoked herbs and meats, and slight (purple) floral notes.  Full bodied.  Medium to firm tannins.  Great balance.  On the palate, this is delicious.  Young, but delicious.  Black raspberry fruit with some black pepper and char.  Deep.  Long finish.  This is still young and will likely improve.  Great plush texture.  Drink over the next twenty years.  Right now, its better on its own, but with time will work better with bigger flavorful dishes.  Roasted root vegetables will

With all of the top level wines from Guigal, sometimes, this one gets lost in the mix.  That's a shame because this is am outstanding wine and an excellent value in Cote Rotie.  Purple in color with some ruby hues, mostly opaque and bright.  The nose is a bit earthy with black raspberries, spices, black olives and slight dark chocolate.  Medium to full bodied.  Medium tannins.  Good balance.  On the palate, this is on the leaner side but still has a great delivery.  Boysenberries, char and some earthiness.  Good finish.  This seems to be about at peak but should have another ten years.  Goo

This is Syrah from the Northern Rhone Valley in France.  Purple in color, mostly opaque and bright.  The nose has black raspberries, black pepper, slight bacon fat and spices.  Medium to full bodied.  Light tannins.  On the palate, this seems to be close to peak.  Some depth and complexity.  Juicy black raspberries with some pepper and spice.  Good acidity.  Nice finish.  This should drink well for another seven to ten years.  It will work better with food although it is nice on its own.  A nice match for a chunky beef tew with roasted veggies.  

This vineyard was sold recently and as soon as the wines are also sold, they will retire.  That is a shame as they make very nice wines for very fair prices on top of Mt. Veeder.  Purple in color with a thin ruby lip, mostly opaque and bright.  The nose has black raspberries, roasted meats and herbs and spice.  Full bodied.  Medium tannins.  Good balance.  On the palate, this is not a bit wine, but plenty of black raspberry fruit along with some char.  Good finish.  On the young side, this should drink well for another ten to fifteen years.  It worked very nice with Palak Paneer.  

This is a blend of 57% Syrah, 24% grenache, and 19% Mourvedre from Paso Robles.  It lists 15.9%abv.   Inky purple in color, opaque and shimmering bright.  The nose is deep with black raspberries, char, roasted meats and "purple" flowers.  Full bodied.  Light to medium tannins.  Great energy.  Good acidity.  On the palate, this is almost seamless with a plush texture but enough acidity to keep it lively.  Flavors of black raspberries, some black cherries with char and a bit of earthiness.  Long finish.  Despite the high alcohol, it is not evident on the nose or palate.  At age 10, this is ju

We recently tried the EABA from 2019, so wanted to compare it to the regular Syrah.  For now anyways, this one is a bit better and more open.  Experience suggests that this may switch (back and forth) and these wines age.  More importantly, however, is how good they both are.  Inky purple in color, opaque and shimmering bright.  The nose has black raspberries, black pepper, some roasted meats and herbs, and spice.  Full bodied.  Medium tannins.  Great acidity.  On the palate, plush texture.  Not as over the top as the EABA seemed, but loads of black raspberries with some meaty notes and gre

Purple in color, opaque and slightly flat.  The nose features black raspberries, black pepper, bacon fat, and spice.  Medium to full bodied.  On the palate, this has some complexity and depth.  Black raspberries with black pepper and spices.  Nice finish. This seemed to be close to peak but should have another five to seven years at this level.  It went very well with a black olive tapenade and flat bread.  

One of our go to value wines (especially when buying on futures), this continues to impress even after the sale of the winery.  Purple in color, opaque and bright.  The nose has black raspberries, black pepper, roasted meats and spice.  Full bodied.  Medium tannins.  Good acidity.  On the palate, this is tasty with some complexity.  No doubt, this could last fifteen years, but we tend to drink these young and age the single vineyard wines.  Great on its own, this went well with a Butternut squash curry.

From what used to be known as Terry Hoage Vineyards.  It is 96% Syrah and 4% Mourvedre.  Inky purple in color, mostly opaque and bright.  The nose has black raspberries, blueberries, plums, spice, black pepper and Roasted herbs.  Full bodied.  Medium tannins.  Concentrated.  On the palate, this is big and slightly jammy, but so delicious.  Deep.  Flavors of black raspberries, black pepper and spices.  Long finish.  Great on its own.  Foods will need to be able to stand up to it.  Roasted Lam Chops would work.  Drink over the next ten to fifteen years.