Weeknight Tasting in Wellesley

5 Syrahs served blind to two other guests. Not blind to me, so rather irrelevant to my notes.

• 2006 Delas Frères Hermitage Les Bessards 93 Points

  France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Hermitage

  Decanted for one hour, followed for the next five. On decanting, this concentrated beast threw some heavy sediment. Dark purple in the glass, the nose offers up scents of blackcurrants, blue fruits, prunes, white pepper, olive, beef blood and smoked meats. On the palate, dark fruits, prunes, white pepper, olive, smoke. Impecable balance; beautiful supple tannin, strong acidity, with a massive finish that lingers in the mouth for an extended period of time. Qualitatively, this wine is excellent, however, the ripeness of the fruit appears to be producing these prune notes that I do not enjoy.

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• 2003 Yalumba The Signature 91 Points

  Australia, South Australia, Barossa, Barossa Valley

  Decanted for one hour, followed for the next five. Heavy sediment noted during the decant. Dark purple in the glass, with huge body that coats the glass. This had an incredibly complex nose of cassis, green pepper, tobacco, dried fruits, mint, blueberry pie, caramelized sugar. On the palate, dark fruits, leather, cherry, cedar, herbs and vanilla. The tannin has really smoothed out and is almost fully integrated, and there is a medium backbone of acidity here that provides a nice counterbalance the ripe fruit. In the mouth, this has a glycerin component that gives it a very luxurious mouthfeel and the finish is of moderate length. As with the Delas, qualitatively, this wine is very well made, just not totally my style. If I was in the mood for an Aussie, this producer would probably be my go to.

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• 2008 Rhys Syrah Horseshoe Vineyard 91 Points

  USA, California, Santa Cruz Mountains

  Decanted for one hour, followed over the next five hours. A little less concentrated than the previous 2 wines, this had a nose of dark fruits, black currants, huge white pepper notes, with a touch of cedar, lemon zest and mild floral undertones. On the palate, not incredibly complex, showing dark fruits, white pepper and citrus. Reasonable balance here, with significantly less tannin than I was expecting. The acidic structure is quite large and dominates the finish in the mouth. Unlike the last 2 wines, this is much less concentrated an leaner on the palate. Much more refreshing, and is quite easy to drink. I have one bottle of this left and I would like to wait another 5 years or so before I open the next one.

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• 2009 Bedrock Wine Co. Syrah Griffin's Lair 92 Points

  USA, California, Sonoma County, Sonoma Coast

  Decanted for one hour, followed for the next five. Deep dark purple in the glass. On the nose, this showed dark fruits, currants, a touch of rubber, smoked meats, caramel, cocoa, mocha and spice. On the palate, dark fruits, cassis, caramel and spice. Tannic structure is present, although much less than I anticipated, and there is some medium acidity here, that provides a nice counterbalance to the rather ripe fruit here. The finish is quite long, as there is excellent concentration. The mouthfeel is beautifully textured and full. As with the Rhys, I was expecting a very closed and harsh wine, but that wasn't the case; this wine was willing to let us catch a glimpse of what it may have to offer down the line. I was shocked to look afterwords to see that this saw only 10% new oak, as I found oak related notes were very prevalent on the nose.

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• 2005 E. Guigal Côte-Rôtie Château d'Ampuis 89 Points

  France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Côte-Rôtie

  Decanted for one hour, followed for the next five. Ruby red in the glass, and much more translucent than the other wines. On decanting, despite being 7 years old, this threw no sediment. After reading the other notes here, I find it hard to believe we are drinking the same wine. Yes, the wine is young, but I expected much more, given the pedigree. The wine reluctantly offered up scents of tart dark fruits, minerality, pepper, spice and oak. On the palate dark and red fruits, minerality, and more oak. Finish is moderate, tannins are high and acidity is high. Big structure, although this wine appears to lack any sort of concentration and density. I left a glass overnight to see if it improved by morning, but when I checked in, it was gone. I have no idea what the future holds for this wine, but right now, I don't see much of anything. Unlike any other young Cote Rotie I've ever had.

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• 2007 Château Doisy-Daëne 93 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Sauternais, Barsac

  Popped and poured from 375mL. Deep golden colour in the glass, showing a nose of honey, dried apricot, marmalade, spice, peach and orange peel. On the palate, honey, apricots and spice. Nice long finish, with some mild tannin, but seems to be lacking just a touch of acidity. Quite nice.

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• 2001 Château de Beaucastel Châteauneuf-du-Pape 91 Points

  France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape

  Well, after 5 full bottles and a split for 3 people, we thought it was a good idea to pop one more. Popped and poured, but once this was in the glass, no one wanted to drink it. Very primary, with some heat noted, so we poured it back in the bottle for the following day. On day two, this has not budged. On the nose, raspberry puree, powdered sugar, spice. On the palate, raspberry liqueur and spice. Mild tannin, moderate acidity, and a rather long finish. Very textured in the mouth, with somewhat of a glycerol component. I was catching a bit of heat off the nose and on the palate that is unpleasant. I had read a few favourable notes, but this was not in a good spot for me right now.

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