Syrah

From Magnum.  This bottle was opened and allowed to breather for six hours prior to serving.  It needed every bit of that and more.  Inky purple in color.  The nose has black raspberries, black pepper, roasted herbs, slight earthiness and slight floral qualities.  Full bodied.  Firm tannins.  On the palate, lot of black raspberry fruit with a bit of roasted meats and black pepper.  Though there is a lot of fruit, this is not over ripe at all.  Juicy acidity works well with the food.  This is still young and will likely improve over the next five years.  The wine has already improved since t

This is a Syrah from Washington state.  I am not up on my Washington vintages but I don't recall 2011 as being special.  Hopefully, this wine shows better in better vintages.  Purple in color.  The nose has some generic black fruit.  On the palate, there is some boysenberry.  Not much depth.  A bit bitter on the finish.  It seems like it might be a bit past its prime.  If you have any, hopefully it shows a bit better.  

This was possibly the oldest EdB I have had and it was great.  Showing a bit of age but certainly not over the top.  Pop and pour, it improved on opening and then held constant for the evening.  Purple in color, some bricking at the rim.  The nose has cherries, some black cherries and baking spices.  On the palate, this has a nice texture.  Still lively but balanced acidity.  Cherries with a bit of earthiness and the baking spice finishes the palate.  I doubt it gets better from here but it certainly seems like it would have at least five more years before a slow decline.  This will go grea

I love the Andremily Syrah, but this was my first time trying the Mourvedre.  It was sensational.  It does contain 14% Syrah.  Inky purple in color.  The nose is great with grilled meats and slightly gamey meats (a good thing) along with black pepper, lavender and spice.  On the palate, this has a lush wonderful texture.  Plenty of acidity behind the fruit.  Very primary today.  Consumed over a few days, there really wasn't much difference.  Lots of black raspberry fruit with some black cherries and an underlying earthiness.  This will certainly take at least five and closer to ten years to

These are great values in Northern Rhone Syrah.  Fass Selections is their importer and distributor in the US.  For those looking for some different wines, sign up for their daily e-mail blasts of wines for direct sale.  While this will improve a bit with cellaring, it drinks well now, especially with a bit of air.  Purple in color, ruby swirls.  The nose is nice with black raspberries, roasted herbs and slight black pepper.  Medium bodied.  On the palate, the fruit is a bit lighter but still in the black raspberry vein.  An underlying minerality with some char.  Good acidity.  Nice finish. 

This is a 50/50 Syrah/Cabernet Sauvignon blend from the Bekaa valley in Lebanon.  It is a reasonably priced wine and well worth the price of admission.  Purple in color.  The nose has black raspberries, spice and a bit of char.  On the palate, this is tasty with black raspberry fruit.  This is about easy drinking in the near term.  No tannins.  It probably needs to be drunk soon at this point (it is already six years old).  It will go with a wide variety of foods.  Obviously mid-eastern foods come to mind, but it will work well with Indian foods too.  

Beautiful showing for this thirty-one year old wine.  While I don't think it will get better, it still has plenty of life left.  Garnet in color, clear and bright.  The nose is earthy with cherries, slight funk and a bit of dried fruits.  On the palate, layers of black raspberry fruit, earth and slight funk.  Deep and complex.  Enough youth and acidity to keep things interesting.  This is at peak.  It will work better with food at this point.  Roasted meats and vegetables, stews but also Indian food would be great.  Should easily last another ten years if well stored.  

This is their Estate St.

OK, this one surprised me and exceeded my expectations.  This is again what Chave calls their negociant line but they do own the vineyards.  It is about one fifth the price of the Estate Hermitage.  I am not sure what I was expecting but those expectations were low considering the above and that 2014 was not a great year in the Northern Rhone.  Well, this wine was delightful.  It may not make three decades, but for the next decade, this is an awesome Syrah.  Purple in color.  The nose is great with black raspberries, violets, black pepper and slight barnyard.  Medium tannins.  On the palate

Another wine from this relatively new producer.  This is a very interesting style of Côte-Rôtie and is what I assume is traditional.  It is a much lighter style of wine and for those looking for a low alcohol, low oak alternative for Syrah in general and Côte-Rôtie in particular, this fits the bill.  Deep garnet in color.  The nose has cherries and a bit of brown sugar.  Almost candied.  On the palate, this is very soft.  Notes of cherries and iced tea.  No tannins.  Slight black licorice on the finish.  This clocks in at 13% Abv.  It really is a food wine and will do better on the dinner t