Syrah

From Magnum.  Wonderful aged Syrah but it is starting to show it's age.  Purple in color.  The nose has black olives, boysenberries, slight black pepper and a hint of bacon fat.  On the palate, this has a nice backbone of acidity.  Layers of black raspberry fruit with some earthiness, some black olives and a bit of pepper.  Long finish.  Worked well with a wide variety of foods.  This probably should be drunk up in the next five years or so.  

My friend Robert was having a birthday.  I brought a Magnum of this as it is always a crowd pleaser.  And, it did not disappoint.  Inky purple in color.  The nose has black raspberries, white pepper, roasted meats, and slight floral note.  With air some coffee grounds come out.  On the palate, this was pop and pout and took only about twenty minutes to open though it continued to improve all night.  Lots of black raspberry fruit intertwined with smoke and roasted meats.  Medium tannins.  Great precision and balance.  Long finish.  This needs big or spicy foods but will work with those and o

This is a hodgepodge of grapes made in a "natural wine" style.  Twenty-five percent Alicante Bouschet, Grenache, Cinsault, Mondeuse, and Zinfandel from one source; another 25% Valdiguié; and the rest Syrah, Tannat, St. Laurent, and Carignan made from vineyards across California.  This was being closed out at a local wine store for $20.  Ruby in color, clear and bright.  The nose has a sweaty sock quality to it.  Once you get past that, there are some cherries and pomegranate notes.

My friend Charlie came by.  Now Charlie likes his wines big and young and we both love Saxum.  That sure seemed like a great opportunity to pull and young'un from the cellar and see what it was showing.  The surprising thing was how good and accessible this was already.  It's not at peak and will improve with cellaring, but if you have more than one, it's not a tragedy to open one now.  33% Grenache, 32% Mourvedre, 24% Syrah and 11% Counoise.   Purple in color, slight ruby line at the rim.  The nose is great with black raspberries, roasted meats, white pepper and slight floral notes.  This

Bedrock makes some great wines, but the low end of their pricing/releases gives consumers some of the best values in red wine.  This is their basic Syrah which is available to mailing list customers for around $21 delivered.  It is a classic, cooler climate but California Syrah.  Purple in color.  The nose has black raspberries, some black pepper, slight roasted meats and a bit of leather.  On the palate, this is tannic and tight.  With air, there is great black raspberry fruit with some damp earthiness underneath and a little peppery quality.  Wonderful texture.  Good finish.  Will work be

Biased review.  This wine is now starting to be approachable.  Pop and pour, it is still young but in my biased opinion, showing well.  Of course, part of this is because having made the wine, it was made in a style I love.  Most of the fruit is from the Halcon Vineyard.  This is a cooler climate Syrah.  Inky purple in color.  The nose has boysenberries, slight bacon fact, leather and roasted meats.  A nice of gravel as well.  On the palate, I love the texture.  Not a monster, but juicy fruit without being over blown.  Medium tannins.  Great acidity.  This will work with roasted dishes, cas

This was brought to a dinner party by a friend who reps the wine.  It was the first time trying this winery, but of course 2015 is such a great vintage in the Northern Rhone that my expectations were high.  Indeed, this wine delivers.  It is an old school styled wine that really has a lot going on.  It retails for around $25 which is a nice value.  Purple in color, a bit flat in appearance.  The nose is great but there is some funk/barnyard (if that bothers you).  Also some plums, a bit of spice and black pepper.  On the palate, this has light tannins.  Good acidity.  Black raspberries and

This is a blend of 62% Cabernet Sauvignon and 38% Syrah from Cayuse Vineyard in Washington.  At eleven years from vintage it is rolling along just fine.  Pop and pour and it was drinking quite well.  Purple in color, ruby at the rim.  The nose is nice with black raspberries, black cherries, slight burnt rubber/iron and a bit of a slight green herbal note (tarragon?).  On the palate, this has a lovely texture.  Juicy, black raspberries, black cherries with slight char underneath.  Good finish.  Worked well with roasted mushrooms.  Should have another decade left if well stored but I doubt it

This is a blend of 45% Syrah, 40% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Petite Verdot and it is delicious.  Drinking very well right now, it will change over time as different varietals take more of a lead.  Right now, the Syrah is dominant.  Purple in color, opaque and bright.  The nose has black raspberries, roasted meats, blueberries and char.  On the palate, this is a big wine and full of fruit.  It also has plenty of depth and complexity.  Juicy texture.  Great balance.  Long finish.  This wine has great acidity that will work well with roasted meats.  Indian dishes should match quite well.  

Halcon makes some great cooler climate Syrah's at very fair pricing.  Definitely check them out.  They do take some time to mature and this one was just starting to hit its stride though it was better on Day 2.  If drinking the 2012 now, give it a few hours of air.  Purple in color.  The nose has black raspberries, slight black pepper, a hint of bacon fat, and slight earthy notes.  On the palate, this is lean and mean as opposed to being a fruit bomb.  Yet, there is persistent black raspberry fruit with a nice underlying char.  It is deep but will need time to show more layering.  That said