California Syrah Virtual Offline

Brian Doolin on eBob proposed a virtual Syrah tasting and with that grand notion several board members popped and poured over a weekend. These are my notes.

Day 1. Popped and poured the Novy in advance of the main event the next day...

• 2001 Novy Family Wines Syrah Sonoma County 89 Points

  USA, California, Sonoma County

  (10/7/2005)

  Popped and poured my first glass 60 mins ago.
  Served a little warm in the mid 60 degrees. Dark ruby color; a sumptuous inviting nose of blackberry, kirsch and spice. Medium to full-bodied with lots of unctuous black fruits. A big spicy chewy of pepper and spice. A little heat on the finish. Terrific stuff. This wine might not be vineyard designate or from an area known for its Syrah but this is a classy, fruit drive joyful wine. This never disappoints.
  
  Popped in the fridge to bring the wine down to a cooler temperature.
  
  Allowed to warm slightly from the fridge after 60 minutes tertiary notes are emerging. The nose is becoming less fruit driven with tobacco and earthier spices. Even hints of black cherry. In the mouth the same thing is happening. The fruit is more subdued with earthier spices coming to the fore. Some other fruits (black raspberry) are emerging with briary notes and a leaner, less unctuous finish. It remains fruit driven however. I’d almost think this was a Zinfandel at this point with the spiciness and the leaner profile, but the blackberry is re-emerging, just with less concentrated and mouthfilling flavors. The heat remains on the finish and is more noticeable. The finish is a little angular. Overall, a more attractive and complex nose with a slightly less appealing palate Still very good and enjoyable.
  
  Day 2: Back to its best. Rich, peppery, spicy nose with plenty of black and red fruits in the mouth. No real sign of heat on the spicy finish. Not complex but plenty of bang for the buck.
  
  Day 2: evening. Come around beautifully. A rich wine endowed with rich mulberry flavors, nutmeg, and spicy overtones, and lovely black fruits in abundance.

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Opened the Bonsai as Mike and I fancied something other than Syrah. This wine changed massively over 2 days. A clunker and very un-d'Arenberg like on day 1 and two days later, great juice.

• 2000 Neyers Syrah Hudson Vineyards 80 Points

  USA, California, Napa Valley

  (10/8/2005)

  A wine that never got going at all. Tasted over 12+ hours.
  
  Decanted at 9 a.m. An ounce or two went into my glass for a preliminary taste. Dark ruby color with a little sign of fading at the rim. The aromas coming up from the decanter are all hot bacon grease, roasted nuts, and concentrated dark spicy fruits. However, the initial tastes are lean and quite flat with a noticeable green (as in asparagus) streak. Not promising at all. It doesn’t have the taint of my earlier bottles but this 6-pack purchase is looking like an unlucky buy. More later.
  
  Now 10:45, back for another sip from the small glass I poured off from the rest of the batch. The wine retains the same solid aromatics and the wine has taken on some additional weight in the mouth and has begun to fill out somewhat. The mouthfeel is somewhat like a young Barolo, with razor-like tannins. Also some acidity in play. All of the flavor is in the mid-palate. Some flavors of blackberry, with some cherry and briary notes. A little like a Nrthen Rhone is a good year. At this stage I could see this being a good food match. The finish is very short. The green streak is now gone. The wine is clearly on the up. It still isn't anywhere close to being a great wine but it is clearly opening up and spreadings it wings. Will it continue that way?
  
  1p.m. Just had another quick sip. This wine is doing nothing right now. Still on the lean and tart side. None of the rich fruit I'd expect from a Cal Syrah. If this had funkiness and minerality I'd think Rhone, but it lacks that. Overall, with time to reflect it's a middling wine at best and not something I'd want to serve to anyone. Will look for something else for tonight.
  
  4 p.m. Another taste at 7 hours. Another small pour from the decanter which has been sitting in my kitchen for the whole time at a temp of around 62 degrees so almost perfect.
  
  This is more like it. Not much of a nose now - but hints of bacon fat, herb, pepper, and some hints of blackberries. In the mouth very soft and balanced with blackberry and raspberry fruits, a good tannic grip, good underlying acidity - and best of all - a pleaing, if short, black pepper finish. Still far from great however.
  
  Took several sips over the course of the evening last night while finishing off the Novy Sonoma and drinking the delicious Alban Reva. Totally outclassed. This ended up being a mediocre bottle that never got going. There was no obvious taint so perhaps some bottle variation.
  
  80 points.

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• 2000 Alban Vineyards Syrah Reva Alban Estate Vineyard 94 Points

  USA, California, Central Coast, Edna Valley

  (10/8/2005)

  Wow, this is the real deal. Spent 2 hours in the decanter before the first sip. A dark wine, dark ruby with hints of electric purple. Initially an intense bouquet of roasted black fruits, with spice and clove and hints of fruit. Flavors of licorice, lush black fruits, and black pepper. The glycerin appears after an hour and adds to the mix. The finish is deft and well integrated. This is a medium-bodied wine of infinite charm and delicacy. It's not overpowering in any sense but it combined fruit, tannin, acidity and charm in equal measure. It is by any gauge a phenomenal wine. It's one of those wines that make yo go "Oh, this is why I drink wine" and at the end of the day, sans points and reviewers and anything else, that is why we all open up our hearts, minds and wallets to wines - for experiences and treats like this.

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• 2001 d'Arenberg The Bonsai Vine 90 Points

  Australia, South Australia, Fleurieu, McLaren Vale

  (10/8/2005)

  A tale of two wines, or be careful not to dismiss a wine on face value. Day 1: 2/3rds of a bottle decanted for 30 minutes prior to serving. Dark ruby color. A nose totally dominated by wood and vanilla with a whiff of blackberry. In the mouth even worse. It's rich and ripe with confused and jammy fruits. Horribly lush. It is totally overdone. I'm a huge fan of d'Arenberg and this wine is a shocker for me. 80 points. Left in the fridge with the cork slapped back in for 2 days this wine is another animal altogether. The last of the bottle decanted for 30 minutes and allowed to come to something closer to 60 degrees. The nose is very d'Arenberg, very sensual and aromatic with ethereal aromas of herb, blackberry and raspberry. The palate is open and generous with none of the confused creamy mess of 2 nights ago. Instead, there is a wide range of fruit flavors with just a kiss of oak, but nothing overdone. Licorice and black raspberry come and go and the finish is initially peppery but this fades after 30 minutes to something altogether earthier with an edgy tannic bite. Instead of an over-blown jammy wine this is more focused with a solid mid-palate and not a little charm. Very good. 90 points.

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The Alban Reva was clearly the star of the show. A very fine wine and clearly has many years left in it. The Novy was another solid value which changed and evolved over 2 days in a very interesting fashion. The d'Arenberg caught up, but it took 2 days. Sadly the Neyers was a stinker for all 3 days it was open!