Syrah

Consistently one of the great values in California Syrah.  Deep purple in color, opaque and bright.  The nose has black raspberries, slight char, black pepper and roasted herbs.  Medium to full bodied.  On the palate, this has a great texture.  Black raspberry fruit with underlying meatiness and char.  Delicious.  Nice finish.  This will drink well over the next ten to twelve years.  A nice match with a burger or ribs off the grill.  

Inky purple in color, opaque and bright.  The nose has black raspberries, black pepper, roasted herbs, slight burnt rubber, and a bit of cherries.  Full bodied.  Rich texture.  Lots of vibrancy.  On the palate, good fruit but not as boisterous as some vintages.  Black raspberries, black cherries, with underlying char and roasted meats.  Nice finish.  This is obviously young but drinking well.  It should mature for another five to ten years and drink well for eight to twelve after that.  It drinks great on its own and will work for big flavored foods.  Roasted chicken would work well.  

This is a blend of 52% Syrah and 48% Grenache from one of the great Rhone varietal vineyards of California (or anywhere).  Inky purple in color, opaque and bright, ruby at the rim.  The nose is great with black raspberries, black cherries, smoke, roasted herbs, and a bit of meatiness.  Full bodied.  Complex and seemingly at peak.  Layers of black raspberry and black cherry fruit with underlying char and slight earthiness.  Long finish.  Delicious.  This wine should continue to drink well for another ten to twelve years.  A nice match for Indian or Thal food.  

Another amazing Syrah from John Alban.  Inky purple in color, opaque and bright.  The nose is complex and beautiful with black raspberries, roasted meats and roasted herbs, slight dark chocolate and a slight floral note.  Full bodied.  Great plush texture with more than enough acidity to tie everything together.  The palate has flavors of black raspberries, roasted herbs with a nice earthiness underneath.  Long finish.

Another gorgeous Syrah from John Alban.  Inky purple, opaque and bright.  The nose is big with black raspberries, chocolate, slight black olive and leather.  Full bodied.  On the palate, this is a huge wine.  Lush black raspberry fruit, chocolate, slight black pepper and baking spice.  A nice bit of acidity works well.  15.2% ABV but not noticeable on the palate or nose.  Delicious.  Long finish.  This still shows quite young and will calm down a bit with age.  This can do another twenty years but those who don't like big wines probably won't like this.  It drinks great on its own and will

Great wine and an even better value.  Inky purple in color, opaque and bright.  The nose is great with black raspberries, black olives, black pepper and slight bacon fat.  Full bodied. On the palate, this is complex and deep.  Layers of black raspberry fruit, minerality, smoke and earthiness.  Great balance.  Long finish.  This is delicious.  Drink over the next ten to twelve years.  It will work great on its own and works well with roasted meats or veggies.

Pop and pour. This is a blend of 91% Syrah, 6% Mourvèdre and 3% Viognier.  Inky purple in color.  The nose is intense with with black raspberries, black olives, roasted herbs, dark chocolate and char.  Full bodied.  Great lush texture.  Lots of black raspberry fruit with underlying charred earth. Some chocolate on the finish.  Delicious.  This is still young and will improve over the next five to seven years.  It should drink well for ten to twelve after that.  It drinks great on its own, with time this will work just as well with food.  It worked well with Indian food.  

This is a blend of Laecik Karasi and Syrah from western Turkey.  Purple in color, ruby at the rim.  The nose has black cherries, some black raspberries, a bit of funk and earth.  Great texture; rich but juicy.  On the palate, there is a nice complexity.  Black raspberries, plums and black cherries with some earthiness underneath.  Long finish.  This is tasty.  It may get better but should mature for a bit and drink well for another ten to twelve years.  It would work well with Yaprak Dolma (stuffed grape leaves).  

This is a blend of 70% Syrah, 15% Grenache, and 15% Sangiovese from Santa Barbara County.  It also a very good value.  Purple in color with some ruby hues, mostly opaque and bright.  The nose is nice with black raspberries, black cherries, spice and slight forest floor.  Full bodied.  Medium silky tannins.  On the palate, this is open and drinking well already.  Nice black raspberry fruit with some cherries and black cherries.  A bit of black tea underneath.

This is a blend of 42% Syrah, 39% Carmenere, 6% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Garnacha, 3% Malbec, 1% Tempranillo, and 1% Mourvedre.  Purple in color, ruby at the rim, opaque and bright.  The nose has boysenberries, black pepper, black cherries and spice.  Very smooth yet varietally complex on the palate.  Light tannins.  Notes of boysenberries and black cherries with underlying char.  Long finish.  This is quite tasty.  Drink over the next ten to twelve years.  Nice on its own, this is even better with food.  Steak, chops or ribs off the grill is a nice choice.