Syrah

My first time trying this vintage.  One of my go to value wines every vintage.  Ownership changed hands a few years back and they haven't missed a beat.  Purple in color, opaque and bright.  The nose is great with black raspberries, roasted meat, slight black olive and black pepper.  Full bodied.  On the palate, this has a great texture.  Rich but with suppleness.  Lots of black raspberry fruit over spice and slight earthiness.  Medium tannins.  This is obviously young but should drink well for the next seven to ten years.  It drinks well on its own and will work well with roasted or grille

This is my favorite Carlisle Syrah.  At age 8, it really was a bit young to be opened, but it was delicious after a couple of hours of air.  Purple in color, opaque and bright.  The nose has black raspberries, bacon fat, black olives and white pepper.  Full bodied.  Light tannins.  On the palate, black raspberry fruit over a charred earthiness.  Great balance.  Lively.  Deep.  Long finish.  This probably will continue to mature for another five to seven years, and be good for another ten after that.  It drinks great on its own and will work well with fatty meat dishes but also Indian or hea

My current favorite in value wines.  Even better than the 2017.  And, under $20!  Purple in color.  The nose is great with black raspberries, black pepper, slight bacon fat, and slight roasted meats.  Great texture.  On the palate, lots of concentrated black raspberries over char and  clean earth.  Light tannins.  Nice finish.  This has some complexity and might still get better.  It should drink well for seven to ten years.  Great on its own, it will work well with fatty fried foods.  

Australia's most iconic wine.  Always a pleasure to try one and this, at age 30 is just showing traces of age.  Inky purple in color, opaque and bright.  The nose has black raspberries, vanilla, spice and slight black pepper.  On the palate, this is full bodied with medium tannins.  Plenty of black raspberry fruit.  Fresh with lots of energy.  Plenty of depth.  This is drinking well now but may still improve as it matures.  It should drink well for another fifteen years or more.  This is great on its own and will work with roasts and drilled meat, fowl or veggies.  

Apparently, one of the reasons for the name is that these vineyards are tended to with the use of horses.  This was tasted side by side with the Tribe.  Of course, which you like better is personal taste but this seems much more backwards at this point.  Purple in color, mostly opaque and bright.  The nose has black raspberries, white pepper, slight bacon fat, and clean char.  Medium to full bodied.  Firm tannins.  The palate has more boysenberry fruit with the underlying char coming thru.  It is tightly packed, but intense.  It probably needs ano0ther five years to open and maybe five afte

From the same people who make Cayuse in Washington state.  Inky purple in color, opaque and bright.  The nose has black raspberries, black olives, roasted meat, and black pepper.  Very enticing.  Full bodied.  On the palate, this is still young with medium to firm tannins.  Nice black raspberry fruit.  Big, but more youthful than a fruit bomb.  If served blind, I think I guess a young Cornas rather than Washington.  Nice finish.  I have no real experience to judge ageability of these wines, but it seems like it need another five years or so, and then should be good for ten or fifteen more. 

This was quite tight.  Opened and tried over three nights and on the third night it finally started to show something.  That is, of course, not unusual for a traditional Cornas.  Purple in color, opaque and moderately bright.  The nose has boysenberries, slight bacon fat, black olives and slight pepper.  On the palate, this is medium bodied and very concentrated.  Nice texture which is probably the best clue that there is a nice wine lurking in there once it opens.  Enough boysenberry fruit to satisfy but this is more about minerality and earthiness.  It is quite tasty too.  If opening now,

Whoa.  This is a stunning value in Syrah.  My first time trying this wine.  It is 100% Syrah from old vines in the Rhone Valley.  Purple in color, ruby at the rim.  Opaque and bright.  What a great nose.  Black raspberries, slight floral notes, just a hint of horse and leather, and slight crispy bacon.  Medium bodied.  On the palate, this is clean, concentrated and delicious.  Nice black raspberry fruit over a slightly earthy base.  Good balance.  Great energy.  Nice finish.  This probably won't get much better but should provide great drinking for the next five to seven years and likely mo

For those looking for value in their red wines, the southern Rhone is still a great place once you get outside Chateauneuf and perhaps Gigondas.  This is one of those wines that is a great wine to stock up on in great vintages.  Purple/ruby in color, mostly opaque and bright.  The nose is very nice with black cherries, plums, slight spice and slight floral notes.  Medium bodied.  On the palate, this has some depth to it.  Black cherry fruit with underlying spice.  Good acidity.  This should drink well for the next five to seven years.  A nice match with a veggies burger (or even a meat burg

Normally, I like to let these wines rest for ten years or so prior to opening, but sometimes, it can't be helped.  For me, the Hearstone opens a bit earlier than the others (along with the Paderewski).  This is a blend of 54% Syrah, 35% Grenache, and 11% Mourvedre.  Pop and pour, this took a while to open and the last glass was the best.  Inky purple in color, opaque and bright.  The nose has black raspberries, black pepper, roasted meats, slight black olives and a bit of black cherries.  Full bodied.  Medium tannins.  On the palate, this has a great juicy, muscular texture.  Powerful  Load