Community Tasting Note

goodvitis.com Likes this wine:

Wednesday, April 23, 2014 - This is a deeply dark red. Nose: pungent cherries and raspberries. Pretty strong herbs de Provence, as well, namely rosemary. Nice bit of spice and a touch of tar. Seems pretty classically Syrah. The alcoholic heat is a bit strong at first, but it smooths out over time allowing some dark cocoa to emerge. Palate: Nice heavy weight for a Syrah; not overbearing or distracting but a welcomed surprise. Smooth, dusty and fine tannins pair nicely with medium acidity. Early on it's the earthy bits that come through more than the fruit. We're talking menthol, tar, tobacco and some very nice gaminess and white pepper. Definitely salt of the Earth wine. No more than 20 minutes into this the fruit starts coming out, mostly cherries and blackberries, very sweet ones. After a good 1.5 hours of air, the weight reduces and the acidity rises as the wine gets lighter on its feet. It still maintains its richness, but it gets savvier and the cocoa gets rich. This isn't New World like Aussie Shiraz, but it isn't Old World Washington Syrah like Gramercy or Waters - it's a nice tweener'. Finish: pretty long with the earthy bits mentioned above, especially the tar, saline, and pepper. The fruit fades pretty quickly, but the acidity lasts, ensuring the darker and dirtier flavors don't overwhelm. The last flavor to fire is the cocoa - it's a big party of this wine. Overall great balance between weight, acidity, and sweetness. The tannins are in a great place right now - holding the wine up and everything in-line, but do not hide nuances. I wouldn't call this a steal at the price, but the quality certainly matches the price. Paired well with a steak with Marsala mushrooms and thyme Rapini. I see this going another 2-3 years easy without declining, but given how nice it is right now I'm not sure I'd like it any better if I waited.

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