2010 Fess Parker Syrah
Community Tasting Note
DaveZack Likes this wine:
Friday, May 1, 2015 - We received this bottle from Fess’ wine club in November, 2012. This is a 100% Syrah with grapes sourced from Fess’ estate winery (Rodney’s Vineyard, approximately 2/3) with the other (approximately) 1/3 of the grapes coming from the world-famous Camp Four Vineyard in the Santa Ynez Valley.
The bouquet is spicy, earthy, and floral, along with a hint of a suggestion of oak. Flavor-wise, this wine exhibits classic Cali Syrah characteristics of black fruits like plums and blackberries, along with a TON of black pepper and secondary elements of dried herbs. This wine has serious structure (tannins and acidity), though those elements harmonize well with the ripe fruit, dried herbs, earthy element, and a perfect amount of oak. The only problem with this wine is that it lacks the complexity and depth-of-flavors that better Cali Syrahs exhibit.
I paired this wine with my “usual other white meat usual suspect” (CostCo pork loins spiced with CostCo’s “Sweet Mesquite” spice blend (which they no longer carry (which pisses me off beyond belief))). This Syrah paired fairly well with the pork loin but would pair better with a grilled steak, hamburger, and just about any other red meat dish (especially lamb (rack, chop, shank, etc.)).
This wine is drinking well right now and thanks to the sharp acidity and ripe, (relatively) smooth tannins, this wine should continue to age/mature nicely for at least another 5+ years. If you like fruity, spicy, smooth, food-friendly (thanks to the acidity and tannins) Cali Syrahs, this one’s pretty good. Yes, you CAN find better Cali Syrahs (Fess’ “Rodney’s Vineyard” Syrah is ALWAYS a “killer”), but this one’s pretty good (not too surprising considering ALL of Fess’ wines are (at worst) good to (at best) FANTASTIC).
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